Henry W. Elliot memorandum for Warren G. Harding, May 1, 1920

This memorandum from Henry W. Elliot of Lakewood, Ohio, for Senator Warren G. Harding, was written on May 1, 1920, and concerns the April 27, 1920, primary election in Lakewood. Elliot writes that many of the workers at the National Carbon Company plant in Lakewood are recent immigrants, notably from Poland and the Czech Republic, and they dominantly voted for General Leonard Wood in the primary election. As these workers are union laborers, Elliot largely attributes their support for Wood to union labor advocate Samuel Gompers and his circular urging union workers to vote against Harding. The memorandum also includes a newspaper clipping from the April 18 issue of The Washington Herald showing Wood's horoscope, and another of the same issue regarding Senator Hiram Johnson's gains against Wood in the presidential race. This letter is part of the Warren G. Harding Papers (MSS 345). This collection includes correspondence, business records, and other materials documenting Harding’s business career as owner and editor-in-chief of The Daily Marion Star, as well as the various stages of his political career. A significant portion of the collection, and what’s available on Ohio Memory, highlights his 1920 presidential campaign, spanning just before publicly announcing his candidacy to handily defeating Ohio Governor James M. Cox in the election. Correspondents include both Ohio and national businessmen, political figures, and ordinary citizens writing with questions, support, congratulatory notes, and campaign advice. Some of the most interesting insights into the tumultuous political climate in the U.S., the extreme factionalism within the Republican Party in Ohio, and Harding’s campaign strategies are described in letters between Harding and his campaign manager, Harry M. Daugherty. Some of the topics addressed include women’s suffrage, Prohibition, the League of Nations, African American representation and issues, and lingering peace negotiations following World War I