Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-10
ORPHAN BooMLETS
General Woods Presidential Candi
dscy Causing Embarrassment
to FaVorite Sons
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT
stan Correspondent of the Evening
Public Ledger

GENERAL WOOD is in the lead for the
~ Republican nomination for the presi-
dency. This statement is not so sensational
as it sounds. To be in the lead for the
nomination today is to be long way short
of being nominated. No one has the nom
nation in his pocket. A combination can
still beat General Wood, but it must have
some one to beat him with A popular
movement can beat General Wood, but a
popular movement must have its hero and
where is the hero?
The development of the Wood boom will
quickly bring into the open the favorite
sons. Up till now there is only one man
formally and by his own announcement a
candidate for the Republican nomination
Senator PoindcXtcr. of Washington. In ad-
dition there are three important actors, but
not avOwed andidatcs-General Wood,
Governor Lowdcn Senator Hiram Johnson
There are many other disavowed but recep-
tive candidates, such as Senator Harding,
Senator Knox Senator Brandegee Senator
Sutherland Governor Goodrich. of Indiana
Governor Coolidge, of Massachusetts, and
Senator Watson. of Indiana, if Governor
Coolidge is out of the way.
TN1lE obvious thing to do to stop the Wood
boom or even to keep alive other hopes is
for these lesser candidates to come out into
the open. If they do not do so soon the
politicians in their own states will watch
the growth of the Wood movement with envy.
And if it keeps on to the point where the
generals nomination seems likely they will
seek to ally themselves with the probably
successful candidate and the hopes of the
favoric son will disappear. The Wood
movement is getting to the point now where
the receptive candidates cannot long ignore
rI,,,. fn,o, ho1l thasr
peace.
THE Wood candidacy has had peculiar
L development. Last winter he seemed to
be Enthusiastically in the lead. Then his sup
port languished. It certainly did not gain
force and indeed seemed to be losing force.
At this time the Wood movement was pop
uar movement and nothing else. AS n pop
ular movement it stopped short; the people
were not sufficiently interested in the cleo
tiOn last winter and indeed are not now tt
indicate their choice. They began to say
that the Wood boom was dead, that no mill
tary man could be accepted as a candidate
for President. The wise men in Washing
ton dropped the general down into last place
in their list of probable candidates. The
only trouble with this judgment was that nj
one took Woods place. There was no one
in the lead Even in preliminary estimates
you cannot beat somebody with nobody.
WHEN the Wood boom languished the
w politicians took hold of it. OF all the
candidates Wood has the best organization,
with John T. King, of Connecticut, as
manager. and with Frank III. Hitchcock
successful picker of nominees, active among
the colored delegates of the South. his old
speciality. Associated with these men are
the old Roosevelt supporters, George W.
Perkins and the men who nearly made
Roosevelt the Republican candidate for the
presidency in 1912.
An illustration of the activities of the
Roosevelt supporters is the effort to force
Senator Harding out of the race in Ohio
and hand that state to Wood. Behind it are
Wallis Brown and the Roosevelt politicians
in Ohio. Senator Harding is in difficult
position as a favorite son. His term in
the Senate ends this year. He would like
to be a candidate for the presidency, and
if he misses that and the vice presidency
he would be sure of nomination to the Sen
ate. The Wood men in Ohio do not want
to leave him all these choices. They have
been. trying to force him to say which office
he will run for, the presidency or the Sen
ate. If he announces his preference for the
presidency they will put up candidate for
his larger ambition he will find his lesser one
foreclosed.
IF MR. HARDING could be certain that
L Mr.. Wood would be nominated he might
accent a promise of the vice presidency and
LET Brown and the rest of them turn the state
over to Wood. But while the uncertainty
lasts his position is difficult Meanwhile, if
he does not openly seek the presidency, sac
rifcing the Senate, he may see his state
slip away from him to Wood anyway. His
position is little more troublesome than
that of the average favorte son, but they
all are having their troubles and the poll
ticians steadily make Wood more formidable
Then people are asking: Is this Repub-
lican national convention going to be
politicians convention? A politicians con-
yention is one in which people have no
fayorite candidate and the politicians are
free 70 name their choice The present in
dications are that it is going to be just
that sort of convention. The people are
indifferent They have no Roosevelt. Gov
ernor Lowden leaves them cold The Hiram
Johnson boom has developed no popular
strength.
NIOR is there the slightest sign of any
IN possible candidate over whom the coun
| try will develop enthusiasm in advance OF
the convention, and if such a candidate
| does not show soon the politicians will have
| the convention in their hands. 1t is the
realization of this fact which has made
| Washington suddenly wake up TO the fact
| that quietly and unostentatiously General
Wood has moved up into the leading place
as candidate, with Governor Lowden. who
has the second best organization behind him,
in second place. The two men are the
first choices of the politicians, Wood and
Perkins and his old associates, the Roose
welt Republicans, except such as support
| Johnson, and Lowden, of the always regular
old guard Republicans
HAVE said that General Wood failed to
i develop spontaneous support of large pro-
portions. But still his candidacy has GER
tain popularity. So far as any candidate has