The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-29
WOOD CLEARED OF CHARGES BUT HIS | PROSPECTS INJURED
No Underwriting Syndicate Revealed By Investigation and Visits of Angels"
 Few and Far Between
By CLINTON W. GILBERT

Washington, May tSpecial)- John T. Kings testimony yesterday before the Kenyon committee clears the Wood campaign of most of the sensational charges that have been go- ing the rounds about it.
 There appears to have been no un- derwriting syndicate of rich men, Great wealth does not seem to have been wild about the opportunity to put its candidate over" at least not to the extent of giving much money to Woods managers, or underwriting | his success.
 The Prick dinner did not result in a lot of millionaires leaving their sig natures on subscription blanks. Colo mel Proctor gave largely or lent iargely--probably will turn out of be ,.tave"-but Colonel Procter is not sinister figure from Wall street but { rich old gentleman indulging In a romantic fancy for making himself . | power in politics Having been denied by Wilson the opportunity to leave his hundreds of thousands to education he turns to make Wilson's chief foe presi' dent
 few other rich men, Billesby and
  s50.000 or so apiece, but angels " visits to- the Wood headquarters were | few and far between. IS TAME AFFAIR General Woods subscription list, which has not, indeed, been made pub 1 lie, is not going to read like direc- tory of directors or like meeting of the steel trust. It is going to show CT iefly one harmless old gentleman who found soap making a prosaic oc- 1 cupation and thought himself rich
 enough to afford something more TO- mantle and exciting.
 The Wood managers might ad- vnntageousiy have disclosed an this before. Hut while this is true l It Is impossible to deny that | Woods prospects have been dnm-
 aged. most people in Washington
 think hOpeIessIy, by the rumpus
 Woods managers permitted Sem
 ator BOrah to make over cam-
 paign expenditures when they l might have stopped him by open- ing their books promptly. They have been put into the position of being reluctant to disclose their wealth md its sources. They
 hnve allowed suspicion to rest
 upon them. And they have finally uisciOse0 expenditures more thnn twice. almost three times, great
 as those of any other candidate. | This money has not been expended corruptly but it has been expended fec Ciishly.
 Colonel Procter in his own persor gives the public a picture of the whole
 Ming. And Colonel Procter was
 slightly ridiculous figure. Writinl checks without keeping himself in formed about what became of th
 money, obsessed with the idea that h
 vas performing an enormous publi
 service, fulfilling an obligation" a
 he put it, advertising his candidat like 8 soap. talking of his expendi
 lures as an advance" which he ha, } q faint" but "rear' expectation 0
 getting back.
 LAUGHABLE OR SINISTER l You fall between two stools if vol l give much money for political purposes
 If you hope to profit by 1t you are -, selfish and sinister interest" If. lik Colonel Proctor. you do not, you are slightly Imaginable figure. It is aimos
 as bad to be Imaginable as to be sinister
 Colonel Procter spent between $500 ~ and s7o0 900 advertising General Woo like soap. The comparison is Coons
 Procters own. This set a pace for tn
 other candidates. who could not bear { see their rival having all the billboard
 and all the double pages in the news