New-York tribune., 1920-01-03
Rumor of Break Between
General and Mr.. Perkins
Revived by Refusal
Of Dinner Engagement
Name on the Invitations
Committeeman King Mem
toned as Real Reason
for His Staying Away

General Leonard Wood has Cancelled
his engagement to speak on Tuesday
night at the annual dinner of the
Ohio Society of New York under
circumstances which seem to lend color
to the recurring rumor that break
has come in his political relations
with George w. Perkins, Progressive
Republican and former lieutenant of
Theodore Roosevelt.
Mr.. Perkins is president of the Ohio
Society. General Wood, Senator War
rem G.. Harding, of Ohio, Nicholas
Murray Butler, president of Columbia
University, and Job E. Hedges weeks
ago accepted invitations to speak at
this dinner, and the printed notices
sent to the members and guests stated
that General Wood would be one Of
the speakers.
On account Of pressing military
engagement" General Wood now finds
that he cannot attend the dinner, and
has so informed the committee.
Much Gossip Afloat
Republicans who are keeping close
tabs on the progress of the pre-conven-
tion national campaign see something
significant in the staying away of Gem
eral eWood. They attribute the can
celation of the generals engagement
to the strained relations between Mr.,
Perkins and John T. King, Republican
national committeeman from Connec-
ticut, whs months. ago took the lead
in rounding UP Republican leaders and
sentiment for General Wood as 9 can
didate for the Republican nomination
for President.
Strained relations between Mr.. King
and Mr.. Perkins alone would not be
sufficient to cause General Wood to
forego the dinner, it was said yester-
day, but aside from the strained rela-
tions the background includes the
strong personal friendship Of the late
Colonel Roosevelt for both Mr.. Per-
kins and Mr.. King, and the further fact
that for the last two or three years
OF his life Colonel Roosevelt made
Mr.. King his closest political conf
dant.
Mr.. King and Mr.. Perkins pooled
their strength at the meeting Of the
republican National Committee in St.
Louis two years ago and elected Will
II. Hays chairman of the committee,
much to the surprise ofthe "Old Guard''
element in the committee, which was
supporting John T. Adams, of Iowa.
Ohioans Disappointed
So far as is known that is the only
instance where Messrs. Perkins and
King have worked double" in political
harness. Since then each has planned
his own political activities.
The declination of General Wood
after he had been counted on to at
tend the dinner on Tuesday, is a bitter
disappointment to the members Of the
Ohio Society, who had counted on
hearing three Presidential aspirants
speak at the same dinner.
Mr. Perkins was asked last week,
after Dan R. Hanna, of Cleveland, an
original Wood man, had called on him,
to ask if he was in favor of General
Wood for President. His some that
cryptic answer was that he was q
"what," rather than a "who" man,
meaning that he wanted to see the con-
vention platform that the candidate
was to stand on before he would de-
clare for any one.
Mr.. Perkins holds that the matter of
first Importance to the Republican
cause this year is the Republican Ma
tional Conventions attitude toward
reconstruction.
At the time of Mr.. Hanna's visit to
Mr.. Perkins at his home in Riverdale
General Wood was still on the speak
ers' list for the Ohio Society dinner
on Tuesday night. The political wise
acres said last night that General
Wood was staying away from the din
ner because of Mr.. Perkins's strained
relations with his chief political lieu
tenant, MIR. King, and for the further
reason that Mr.. Hanna had failed to
convince Mr.. Perkins that now is the
proper time for him to declare for the
general as the best man for the Re-
publican nomination
When Mr.: Perkins was asked last
night about the failure of General
Wood to speak at the dinner he said:
81 was very, very sorry after General
Wood had accepted an invitation to our
dinner to get message from him say
ing that an imperative military en-
gagement would detain him in Chicago.
| take ColoAel Wood at his word. l
have no reason to doubt it,"
One Of General Woods lieutenants,
when asked about the reported break,
said:
"a Presidential candidacy should not
be made part of menagerie. 1t is
beneath the dignity of the office to