The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-20
HARDING PLANNED
 SOME &, ,,ai OF JOb
 FCs& GENERAL WOOD
Governor General of Philip pines Being Considered. Republicans to Change Is-
 land Policy
By ROBERT T. SMALL

St Augustine. Fla, February 19--(Spe- cial4-Will Gen. Leonard Wood, who less thanaa year ago was the leading asprant for the republican nomination for Pres ident of the United States, forego his political ambitions and accept appoint ment by Mir. Harding as governor gem eral of the Philippines?
 This is question which is agitatins a big weekend political gathering in St. Augustine, and the point is accentuated by the presence of General Wood him. self Summoned by Senator Harding for conference. it is realized here that if General Wood should accept the Philippines appointment 1t would amount to putting him on the shelf as a presi- dential aspirant in the future. Many Of General Woods closest friends do not believe he will accept the appointment in the circumstances. While senator Harding had not offered the governor, ship general of the Philippines up to the time of the generals arrival in St. Augustine, he admitted that the general was under consideration for the post. This was as far as he would go
 TAKE CARE OF HIM'
 Much pressure has been brought to bear upon Mr. Harding to name Gen eral Wood to an important post at as early date as possible, and he has had the matter under consideration for a long time. More than two months ago it was said Mir. Harding had General Wood under consideration for governor general of the Philippines, and as a mat ter of fact there had been no change in the situation from that day to this.
 It has been assumed ever since the election that Senator Harding, in the in- terest of party harmony, was desirou- of doing something becoming for both General Wood and Governor Lowden, who were his two most formidable rivals for the republican nomination at Chi cago last June. Governor Lowden de'i- nitely has asked that his name be eliminated from consideration either as cabinet officer or for any other form of public service.
 MT. Harding would have liked to nave had Governor Lowden in the cabinet. He hesitated for long while, however, and finally offered to the former chief executive of Illinois the secretaryship Of the navy This Governor Lowden promptly declined, and he would not heed an earnest plea to reconsider his deeiinatioll.
 TO CHANGE POLICY
 The entipe Philippine policy of the next administration has been wrapped up more or less in the appointment of Gen eral Wood as governor general The aIl- nourcement of his appointment would be accompanied by a statement that the re- publican administration is not in favor at this time of complete independence for the Philippine islands until it is said that the incoming administration is not in favor of this action.
 Senator Harding has particular in- terest in the Philippines. For the last two years he has been chairman of the Senate committee on the Philippines. and has given much thought to the islands. It has been said that during the demo- cratic administration of the last eight years the islaods have been going na- tive, and it is the purpose of the repub- lican administration once more to as sert the sovereignty of the United States. z In some quarters the proposed ap- pointmnt of General Wood has been crit icised on the ground that the Filipinos might consider his coming into power as a re-establishment of q military form of The inhabitants of the have become accustomed to d strictly civilian rule for many years. and the reaction of q military governor is regarded as doubtful.
 The friends of General Wood insist now. as they insisted during his cam paign for the republican nomination, that not being professional soldier. not being graduated from West Point, he can entirely dissociate himself from a military atmosphere in dealing with civil ian problems.