The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-23
OF NATIONS
 BASIS OF PENROSE'S
 FIGHT FOR CONTROL
tContinued from Page one)


 mated at San Francisco from a wheel chair at Washington,
 Penrose, the last of the republican demigods, will attempt to say who shall be nominated at Chicago from lake shore apartment. He will hardly show, himself in the convention, probably not at all He will use the telephone a great deal. The lesser bosses will come to see him at his rooms.
 Just now there is almost daily
 pilgrimage to his home. He uses
 the long distance telephone rather
 more than any one in the country.
 Each of the candidates has had men
 tO see him in their interests. The
 members of the old guard who want combination made which
 will name the winner slip quietly
 over to Philadelphia.
 certain glamour attaches to him. Politicians from all over the country ask, What is Penrose doing? Where will he throw his strength? How is his health"
 He is the most interesting single figure in the republican situation. Bull wer Lyton used to like to write novels with the word Hast" in their titles, "The Last Days of Pompeii," "The Last of the Barons," The Last of the Saxon Kings" He might write one today about the last of the old guard There is none left of the Penrose stature but himself and he Is sick. New York has no boss. Ohio is split to pieces, Wat son of Indiana is of younger gener- ation and a smaller race.
 How is Penrose? Visitors to him re- ! turning to Washington put it guard edly, He is below par physically" just as visitors to Wilson fence with tho public curiosity. One is not too ex- plicit about the bodily state of kings. Recently published pictures of Pen- rose. like recently published pictures oi Wilson, indicate that he is below par" II is months since he has been in Washington. He will be in Chicago WHAT HE CAN DELIVER What kind of a combination can this political demigod below par" make He will be able to hold Pennsylvania, | pi esumably. Indiana may perhaps be l counted on after the early ballots, al- ways with the if, that Wood does not 1 develop great strength on the early ] halIots.
 New York would be an important l almost indispensable. element in a suc- cessful Penrose block, but no one can l dellver New York. People in Wash 1 ington ask where is Elihu Root? He l does not give sign, but he hardly | stands with Penrose. He was for the treaty with reservations. He was one Of those who put the pressure on the republican senators which Penrose re- | sents Root has no authority In New | York politics, but he is likely exer- | else much influence there. He is sup posed to be for Wood.
 | The success of such a combination as Penrose is making depends upon the | extent to which delegates and bosse: believe in it. The old guard, when il was really an old guard, succeeded be- | cause delegates followed it blindly, be. l ing confident that it had the nomina. tion up it's sleeve.
 Some of this old faith reposes in Pen l rose. States like Indiana, New Yorl | and Ohio will follow him so long as they think he controls. But let then think that power has slipped out ot 1 his hands. that the Wood movement oi the Lowden movement is too strong for him, and they will go to the win.
 Ter. The strongest element in tn, l Penrose bloc appears to be Johnson and the irreconcilible group attached to him. But the connection is weak Johnson has ambitions of his own, tha, l probably have not Penroses real sup. pert. If Johnson were to abandon them l and cooperate fully with Penrose, the two of them could probably say whe would be the republican candidate | Acting quickly in the early ballots the two of them throwing theil
 strength to Lowden could probabl, nominate him. But neither of then wants Lowden. Johnson would be the best man for Penrose to beat Woof with, but Penrose probably does no | want to go to that length. If Wood gets going the Penrose bloc will not te enough to stop him. If he doe, not. the Penrose bloc will hardly know what to do with the power it has