New-York tribune., 1921-02-11
Friends of the President
Elect Aim to Make Him
Independent of Lodge
and Penrose influence
Old Leaders Oppose
His Cabinet Slate
Strong Popular Sentiment
for Wood Expressed i'm
Letters and Telegrams

pAt AOd0o LINE, RIA, FeD. III. -
President-elect Harding is understood
to be deeply interested in efforts of his
friends to form Senate bloc that will
enable him as Chief Executive to make
decisions with less consideration for
the approval of Senators Lodge and
Penrose than is now possible.
Among the Senator'S who are under
stood to be taking part in the plan to
organize Senate group that will be
responsive to the wishes of Mr.. Har-
ding when he becomes President are
Fall, of New Mexico; Phipps, of Col
orado; Frelinghuysen and Edge, Of
New Jersey; Hale, of Maine, and Wads-
worth, of New York. Both Senator
New and Senator Watson, Of Indiana,
have been suggested as possible leaders
of such group, in which it is planned
to enlist all of the younger members
Of the Senate. All of the Senators
named have seen the President-elect in
recent weeks.
Cabinet Selections Opposed
The tremendous opposition threat
ened by certain Senate leaders to con-
firmation of some of Mr.. Harding 8
Cabinet selections is understood to
have caused the President to lis
ten to the plan of Senate friends with
friendly ears.
1t is understood here that the need
of Senate bloc upon whose support
Mr.. Harding might depend when he be-
comes President was brought home to
the President-e elects friends in the SEN
ate when it was realized that delays
in the handling of business before the
present Congress inevitably would pre-
vent timely consideration of a fnan-
cial program and other vitality impor-
tant matters that must be laid before
Congress at the special session Mr.
Harding will call as soon as he is in
augurated.
Harry Daugherty, who went to
Washington to explain to the Repub-
lican leaders of Congress Mr.. Har-
ding's wishes regarding speed, is said
to have reported back to the President
elect that-a Senator who is at present
in Florida, in speaking of Senator Pen
rose, recently pointed out that the
him from assuming charge of the new
Administrations financial program.
Delving into an accumulation of un-
answered mail and kilograms to-day
President-elect Harding discovered
that the largest heap contained pleas
for him to place Major General Leon
ard Wood in his Cabinet. Non-com-
initial replies are to be sent to these
petitioners, but it is known as definite
ly as may be, short of a fiat declara-
tion from Mr.. Harding, that there is
no present intention to offer General
Wood any Cabinet appointment.
kilograms from hundreds of women
voters in all parts of the country were
in the pile of appeals, to put woman
at the head of p Federal department.
from the appeals in the Harding mail,
is entirely spontaneous, with no SEM
blance of organized effort.
Mr.. Harding said fatly to-day that
Charles D. Hilles was not a candidate
FOR the Cabinet and was not under
consideration. 1t has been reported
that he was still under consideration
for the Treasury post. Mr.. Hlles ar
rived here to-day in company with
Senator James Wadsworth, of New
York. They had breakfast with the
esident-elect
This afternoon Mr.. Harding wasted
no time in getting out to the St. Au
gustine golf links. Senators Edge and
Phipps went with him, and when they
teed off they were trailed by a large
gallery.
From The Tribune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1O.-It is not
considered surprising here under the
circumstances that there should be at
this time talk of organization of q
Senate bloc such as that now suggested
from St. Augustine. AS matter of
fact, several Senators have been talking
about something of this sort for two
or three years, and talked about it long
prior to Mr.. Harding's election, or even
his nomination.
The view of the matter here, how.
ever, is that Mr.. Harding will be very
slow to give his countenance to any
movement for the formation of a bloc
or group which would be hostile OF
semi-hostile to the elder statesmen OF
the Senate, including Lodge and Pen.
Continued on page ive)