Union Labor Bulletin

AN INSIDE STORY.

The inside story of Gen. Leonard Wood's campaign for the Republican nomination for president in 1920 has been told in a Chicago court. "Colonel" William Cooper Procter Cincinnati soap magnate, formed a syndicate to put the general across. One of the "stockholders," "Colonel" R. R. Sprague, declined to pay his half of a $100,000 note and "Colonel" Proctor sued to recover. The jury found for "Colonel Procter and the latter is now preparing to go after the other members of the "syndicate." He hopes to gather in about $600,000 from these "welching" gentlemen. Thus the facts of this extremely interesting transaction have been uncovered, but it is significant that they have not been given much space in the daily press. Evidently the editors feel it is not advisable to permit the people to discover how much certain interests are willing to pay to secure control of our government. "Colonel" Sprague's counsel contend that the "syndicate" expended $2,436,000 in Wood's behalf. Other attorneys place the total at $1,750,000. It would appear that the "syndicate" was bucking the "Old Guard" in the Republican party. The "Old Guard" was financed by the "House of Morgan." So the issue before the convention was whether the "syndicate" or the "House of Morgan" should name the Republican candidate. Harry Daugherty eventually persuaded the Morgan crowd to concentrate on Harding and the latter was nominated with Calvin Coolidge as his running mate. The correspondence produced at the trial shows that for a time after Harding's triumph the members of the "syndicate" sulked. There were intimations that they might open their purses for Cox, the Democratic candidate. But Wood journeyed to Marion breakfasted with Harding, announced that he had a "satisfactory interview" and the political skies cleared. With Harding in the White House. Wood was sent to the Philippines as governor general, a position which enabled him to "take care" of the financial interests which have investments in the islands.-Raymond Lonergan, in Labor.