Evening Star Newspaper, August 14, 1927, Page 52

PRESIDENT'S CHAIR Deceased Army Officer Nar- rowly Missed Highest Honor of Nation. BY B. JOHNS. On two occasions Maj. Gen. T.con- ard Wood was on the threshold of the White House. Still fresh in the minds of those interested in national affairs is the Republican convention of 1 | when forecasters frankly conceded the nomination of Gen. Wood up to the very day the convention met. Then a number of things happened which brought about a deadlock and the prize fell to Warren Hardin H Historians disagree as to why Gen. | Wood was not nominated. By some. | former Senator Miles Poindexter is credited with responsibility for th. Rough Rider’s defeat. It will be re called that the State of Washingte under its primary law, had instructed its delegates for Poindexter. There never was any prospect of his nomi- nation, and, in fact. his candidacy was not taken seriously. At the same time the delegates could not vote for any other candidate until released by Poindexter, though their sentiment was for Wood. In this manner Poin dexter, for ballot after bailot. ket from Wood the votes cf delegates who would have given him the nomination But there was another time when the late governor general of the Phil ippines approached the White House, though he was not aware of it until more than a yvear after. In 1900, when he was military governor of Cuba, he was called to Canton, Ohio, for a con- ference with President McKinley and Senator Mark Hanna, then conceded to be leader of the national Republi can party. Wanted Soldier Candidate. At the time Senator Tom Platt. in order to get Theodore Roosevelt out of New York State politics, was urg: ing him to run for Vice President with McKinley. There had been no break between Hanna and Roosevelt at the time, but the former did not take kindly to the idea of g Senator Platt unload £o unruly a member of the party on his shoulders as national leadér. As they were scated around the table in William McKinley's modest | home at Canton. Senator Hanna out lined his plan for giving President McKinley a soldier running mate without injection of the Roosevelt per- sonality into the national situation. He went on to explain that circum- stances demanded the recognition of the soldiers who had won the Spanish- American War so brilliantly. He be- lieved that this could be done by launching a vice presidential boom for | Wood, whose administrative qualities in Cuba, as well as his fighting record on the island, the Senator thought, would appeal to the country. As Gen. Wood knew that Theodore Roosevelt, his close intimate in Army and ctvil life, was fully alive to Platt's strategy and was at the time protest- ing violently against the use of his name in this connection, he felt that he would be truly serving his friend it he agreed to Hanna’s proposition. He returned to Havana with the.un- derstanding that McKinley would name his successor and that he would at once resign and plunge into the cam; 3 But political complications’ arose over the selection of the new Cuban executive which delayed the matter so long that Senator Platt was given time to force the nomination of Roose- velt, much against the latter’s. incli- nations. - If Wood had been in posi- tion to enter the campaign, with the backing of Hanna, he would have been nominated to the second place on the Republican ticket and have become President with the death of McKinley in September, 1901. ‘Was Friend of Cleveland. In rvelating this incident to me sev- eral years ago Gen. Wood mused: “It was too bad that we could not get along together.” g The “‘we” that the Seneral referred to was President McKinley, President Roosevelt, Senator Hanna and him- self. - Despite all that happened after- ward, there was a time previous to the Spanish-American War when Mc- Kinley, Roosevelt, Hanna and Wood were the closest of political and per- sonal friends. They were running the affairs of the Nation in a big way and Jjust coming into the fullness of their power. _ Gen. Wood had been a close friend and confident of Grover Cleveland. He was more than a personal phy: sician to- the Democratic President, who .often discussed important admin- istration ‘policies with him. On fish- ing and hunting trips Cleveland often took counsel with the then Capt. Wood. 1In some quarters it iz be- lieved that Cleveland's disposition to favor national defense and a strong foreign policy was due in great measure to the influence of Weod. When he turned the White House over to McKinley, President Cleveland asked just one favor of his successor —that "he would retain Capt. Wood. | As the new executive was already favorably impressed, he assured ir. Cleveland that he would gladly com- ply with the request. The greatest disappointment, how- ever, in ‘Gen. Wood’s life, was the refusal of those in authority to send him overseas in the World War. He had built up a great organization in the $9th Division, afterward: known | as “Wood’s Orphans.” He had in-| jected the Rough Rider spirit into | the 89th. The regard in which was held by hoth officers 0 worship. was | step on the ship for France, relieved by an order from the | Department. In anything but | a perfectly disciplined organization there would have been mutiny. Despite document evidence to the contrary, Gen. Wood did n>' place the blame of his relief fron, command upon Gen. Pe he did not when I saw hington when he made 21 appeal to President Wilson to rescind the order immediately after it had been re- ceived. I met him at the Union Sta tion on his arrival and went to the White House with him. We discussed the cause for his relief and he ex pressed the opinion that it came from outside the Army. He was the recog. | nized leader of what s known as the | “progressive element” in the Regular Army and his relations with Gen Pershing had always been cordial While he was chief of staff he had offered Pershing the superintendency of West Point. G Wood Feared as Candidate. [ Without outside interference there | eould have been no friction between | Gen. Pershing and Gen. Wood. Theie was big national politics involved. | arties, in Congres: Wood as a presidential certainty in the event he was given an opportunity to distin | guish himself at the front. Even as a succesful commander, as he proved o be, they thought Gen. Pershins would not "have the popula appeal that Wood's personality and previous record insured him. ~Without this overseas service Gen. Wood proved himself a power in the 1920 conven tion, where as a hero of two wars he would have been irresistible, Coming into the service as a con tract doctor, Gen. Wood became lead. er of military thought in the United States Army.”“What s known as the amended national defense act, t ing the Army of the United States | i s DOR! aughier of ay, sail rope. It started w burg camps, Gen. Wooc saw that in power the Reguar Army s existed wus i could be exps of life and t tafl he took v _institutin; nd Mont refused to at but loaned youn 0wn expens | of staff he 1 r with its three components, the Regu lar Army, 1he National Guard and Re serves, is the outgrowth of Gen. Wood's acii, i "y in military affairs, OTHY K. GOLLADAY, Mr. and Mrs. 1 L. ed August 1 of Zor a tou ith the un I, with his w 1 war with 1l vision a first-class it then not built on lines which wded without great los veasure. When chief of the first steps training camps_at The W, horize any the equipmen responded, payir When relieved s chief arted an intensified .cam- settyshar Department X A paign for Plattsburg training camps as they afterward became known. His efforts were openly frowned upon by the administration but every stu- ld(‘n! at those camps became an apos- | tle for military training and Congress | was unable to resist the pressure of | popular sentiment. | Baker Approved Camps. [ Out of the Plattsburg camps grew { the Military Training Camps Associa- tion. When this country was drawn into the World War the War Depart- | ment did not even have a list of civil- fans who had military service. desperation for officers and instructors | outside the Regular Army to handle | the 4,000,000 men who were being in- ducted into_service, the War Depart- ment appealed to the Military Train {inz Camps Association, which had heen created by Gen. W who had scorned his ¢ elled to depend upon | greater part of the temporar | of our Army in the World War. Even Newton D. Baker, who, when | he hecame Secrei of r, was classified as a . was converted to the military training ideas of Gen. { Wood, and ‘when he returned to Cleveland made a fight for military | training in the high schools. He was | inspired by the | fired Wood's efforts in 1913-1914 m West Pointers comes the highest praise for Gen. Wood's out standing ability as a military leader. Tllustrating this, Maj. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was graduated as No. 1 in his class at the Military Acad- emy, once told me: Gien. Wood is simply a born mili- leader. He absorbs great mili- ary problems and policie: On the other hand, when Maj. Gen, |James G. Harbord was deputy chief {of staff under Gen. Pershing he often | took occasion to praise Gen. Wood in the highest Gen. Harbord me up from the s, entering the n enlisted man, h anches of life work Gen. Wood was likewi rognized. She Iy after his wonderful record tary governor of the Province of San- Cuba, following the Spanish he was given the degree of Philipsborn 0606 - 0614 A Reasonable ELEVENTH ST. Deposit —will hold any Coat in our Will Call Department until delivery is Sizes for EVERY Juniors’ Sizes 13 to 19 Misses’ Sizes......14 to 20 Women’s Sizes....36 to 40 desired. In its | Those | me zeal that had | il Ladies’ Auxiliary of Capital Fire Department Formed to Aid Visitors Organization of a ladies’ auxiliary of the Washington [ire Department was effected at a medting Friday night, at which about 30 wives and_daughters of firemen were present. Miss Helen v was elected president of the Mrs. Agnes Melchor, vice Sergt. A. J. Bargagni, chairman of the parade committee, who addressed the women last night, pointed out that there has Jong been a need for such an_organization. The first big meeting will be held early next week. 150 ARTISTS EXHIBIT. American rding secretary. orge S, | Watson, wife of the fire chief, was made hono; president. The auxillary was formed to assist in tho entertainment of visiting fire- men's wives Labor day, when the an- nual firemen's parade’ will be held. auxiliary will decorate a large to be used in the parade. The zation will be permanent. Picture Producers in Paris in Own Salon. PARIS, August 13 (P).—A section of the work of American artists Pinaris was presor American artists held recent exhibition, held to give Pa portunity to see what American ar- tists are doing, included canvases of more than 150 art! The exhibition, which was unre- stricted, stimulated some to paint spe- cial plctures. Several canvases were hung still moist. Mrs. Lillian Dwight, who offered a canvas of the Boulevard St. Michel, admits having completed her painting in 12 hours in order to enter it in the exhibition. ero LL.D. by Harvard, President Ct W. Eliot at that time citing him “Leonard Wood, Harvard doctor of | medicine, Army surgeon, life-saver, re- | storer of a province.” Again, in the role of civil adminis- | trator, Gen. Wood reached the highest of international fame. When after two vears of labor Gen. Wood had brought prosperity out of the Cuban b Lord Cromer was about to re tire from his post as Britsih consul genaral of Egypt. Praised as Administrator. rles SEE PARIS BY AIR. sing the selection of his suc- | | cessor with a number of his country- men, he said “Unfortunately the hest man for the place is not available. He is an Ame . Gen. Leonard Wood.” PARIS, In 25 years of contact with official | Paris from the air is now so popu life ashington, I have never met | that three planes at Le Bou a man who had a broader, clearer | kept husy taking up passenge grasp, not only of military. but of | Pllots say Lindbergh's advertis national and internatienal aff He [of Le Bourget has stimulated the lay never was o deeply engrossed in his|man's desire to fly ahove the field Army duties that he lost interest in|where Paris weclcomed the first New the welfare of the Nation. For all this | York-to-Paris plane, Offlcials estimate and despite the high postions which | that the field is now visited daily by he held, he remained until his end. a [ five times the number who used to I get Field. August 13 (#) il i | Many Patronize Planes at Le Bour-“, —Seeing | CLAIRNORE STINNES HELD AS PRISONER FOUR DAYS Daughter of Late German Magnate, on Auto Tour of World, Halted at Constantinople. By the Associated Press BERLIN, August 13.—On her®auto- mobile tour of the world, Clairenore Stinnes has reported her first adven ture from Constantinopie. Miss Stin- nes is the only daughter of the late German magnate, Hugo Stinnes. Before Miss Stinnes and her com panions could cr the Bosporus they were held up by the Tusl 1 thorities for four for having committed the “crime” of inadvert- ently entering the so.called military zone. Miss Stinnes was placed unde a military escort and her two cars, al! her belongings and her dog were at tached by the police. When all arguments and entreaties failed, Miss Stinnes resorted to tear which did the trick. The Turl thorities were suddenly convin she was not a spy. They restored her ars and other properties and gave her_a_huge houguet of roses i Dine in cool comfort amid breezes of oscillating fans Sunday Dinner Fried Chicken. Ronst D ressing, and Bl P Served 1 to 7:30 P.M. ek 503 12th N.W. Next to Martha Washington Candy T o CZAR RUBLE IN DEMAND. BERLIN, August 13 #).—A sur- prising run on the old Czar ruble has been attracting the attention of German banking circles. They are at a loss to explain this suddent and increasing demand. chiefly by German and English bid- ders, for the practically demonetized Russian bank notes. Some believe that a British move. ment is on foot to propagate and lend financial backing to a Russian mon- archical vestoration. Others think it is merely a scheme on the part of a number of smart speculators who hope ter to sell these valuable bank notes at a profit. Rizik Brothers Just Arrived! 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