Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-22
By CLINTON W. GILBERT
STAR Correspondent Of the Evening Public
Ledger

Washington. MAY 2@.--lf General
Woods ambition to be President Is
wrecked at Chicago. the rock on which
Il will founder is Senator PenroSe.
A bloc is being formed among the
leaders. which is anti Wood. Penrose
Ia at the head Of it. From day to day
senators of the old guard are going
one or two at time to visit the Penn
sylvania senator.
Out Of this it is expected that some
kind of combination will bc achieved
around the candidacy Of Senator Knox.
II will be definitely anti. Wood. 1t
will be against but not so much
against Lowden. 1t may swing to
Lowden to beat Wood. II is not likely
to support Wood unless Wood gathers
such force in the, early balloting at
Chicago as TO cause the combination to
go TO pieces.
Since the PenroSe declaration for
Knox, the Pennsylvania senator has
been active politically. His views upon
candidate and platform are becoming
known to the well-informed here in
Washington. He may be set down as
strongly and definitely opposed to
Woods nomination. He has been
against Wood from the time when John
r. King. of Connecticut. Woods first
manager. approached him in the in :
terests of the general. And his opposi-
ton il reported to have increased as
the campaign has gone on. Now. he
Is represented as unalterably opposed
to Wood.
Business Interests Divided
The Pcnrose opposition to Wood in
dicates a division of opinion among the
n
views are influential in Republican
circles and this division seems to re
yolve around the dispute over the Ger
man treaty and the league covenant.
Mr.. Ppnrose usually speaks for big
business in the Republican party coun
ellis. He Is strongly opposed to the
league. as strongly as Hiram Johnson
himself. Certain big business interests.
especially interests with international
connections, put good deal OF pressure
upon the Republican senator's last win :
ter in behalf of the treaty. Penrose
resented that pressure He still speaks
for big business, but not that big bust
ness. He is against the interests that
support the treaty. and as he associ-
ates the Wood candidacy with certain
interests that support the league. he is
against the Wood candidacy. At least
that il the current explanation that
sounds most plausible.
Mr.. Penrose is the sick man of the
Republican party. The parallel with
Wilson naturally occurs to mind. The
President will say who will be nomi-
mated at San Francisco from wheel
chair at Washington Penrose, the last
of the Republican demigods. will at
tempt to say who shall be nominated
at Chicago from Lake Shore apart
ment. He will hardly show himself in
nhah n
will use the telephone great deal. The
lesser bosses will come to see him at
his rooms.
Just now there is almost a daily pill
xrimage to his home. He uses the long
distance telephone rather more than any
one in the country. Each Of the candi'
dates has had men 10 see him In their
interest The members of the old guard
who want combination made which
will name the winner slip quietly over
to Philadelphia.
PenrOse Interesting Figure
A certain glamour attaches 10 him.
Politicians from all over the country
ask What is PenroSc doing? Where
vii! he throw his strength? How is his
heahht" He is the most interesting sin e.
gle tigure in the Republican situation.
Bulwer Lytton used to like 10 write
novels with the word last in their
titles, The Last Days Of pompeii,'
"The Last of the Barous, The Last
of the Saxon Kings" He might write
one today about the last of the
old guard There is none lett of the
Penrose stature but himself and he is
sick New York has no boss. Ohio is
split TO pieces. Watson, Of Indiana, Is
of "A younger generation and smaller
race.
How is PenroSr? Visitors to him re p
turning TO Washington put it guardedly
He is below pur physically, Just
as visitors to Wilson fence with the
public curiosity. One is not too explicit
about the bodily state Of kings. Re
certify published pictures of Penr9se
like recently published pictures of vii,
son. indicate that he is below par.
II is months since that h" has been IN
Washington. He will be- in Chicago.
What kind of combination can this
political demigod below par make,
He will be able tn hold Pennsylvania,
presumably. Indiana may perhaps bt
counted on after the early ballots, al
ways with the il. that Wood does not
develop great strength on the early bal
lots,
New York Not Indispensable
Nv York would be an important
almost indispensable, elemVnt III sue
e.ssful Penrose bloc But no one car
deliver New York. People in Wash
ington ask where is Elihu Root: H'
does not give sign. But he hardly
stands with PenrOSe. lie was for thI
treaty with reservations. lie was one
of those who put the pressure on th'
Republican senutors which ienrose re
sents. Root has no authority In New
York politics, but he is likely TO- ex'
ercise much influence there. lie II
suDposed to be for Wood.
The success of uCh II combLation a.
Penrose Is making depends upon th'
extent to which delegates and bosse
believe in IL. The o!d guard. when j
was really an old guard, : .cceeded be
cause delegates followed it blindly. be
ing confident that II had the nomina
tion up its sleeve.
Some of this old faith reposes IL
Penrose. States like Indiana, New
York and Ohio viii follow him SO lonl
Y as they think he controls. Bnt let then
think that power has slipped out o
A