Joseph C. Manning letter to Warren G. Harding, May 8, 1920

In this letter dated May 8, 1920, Joseph C. Manning writes to Senator Warren G. Harding, Republican presidential candidate in the 1920 election, regarding the upcoming election. Republican U.S. Senator William Borah of Idaho proposed an investigation of Republican campaign practices after Theodore Roosevelt, Manning argues, dictated the nomination of William Howard Taft in the 1912 presidential election, who lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Manning criticized Republican presidential candidate General Leonard Wood, especially for his choice of Frank H. Hitchcock as his campaign manager, former Postmaster General under President Taft. He states that southern Democrats will do anything to eliminate an opposing party in the South, including disfranchisement practices against African American voters. Manning concludes by asking Harding to push for Borah's proposition to expose the overall problems with the system, rather than airing the dirty laundry of one candidate. Manning was a journalist and activist who fought for agricultural reform and African American voting rights in 1890s Alabama. 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