The Meeker herald., 1898-12-03
SANTIAGU'S POOH-BAH
GENERAL WOODS ADAPTIVE
NESS.
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Corrects II any Evils

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When Colonel Teddy" Roosevelt Ia
sworn in at Albany the rough riders
will have given two governors to the
nation, for General Leonard Wood is
the military governor of Santiago de
Cuba. The rough rider governor OF
New York will have to set pretty hot
pace when he begins his gubernatorial
career IL he would run in the same
class with the rough rider governor Of
Santiago, for General Wood not only Is
making history but record beyond the
most sanguine hopes Of his warmest
admirers. 1t Is a striking coincidence
that the colonel of the rough riders
should be appointed governor Of Santa
go and lieutenant colonel OF that COM
mand be elected governor Of New York
in less than six months from the day
the rough riders We're sworn into the
service of the United States But those
who know both men can readily be-
lieve that the sequence of events
placed both men where they are sole
ly by the operation of the law of the
selection of the fittcsr.
1t would take long and weary
search to find two men more unlike
than Governor Wood and Governor
elect Roosevelt. Roosevelt is all fire,
demonstrative enthusiasm, explosive
energy, visible aggressiveness, leading
up to pyrotechnical finishes Wood is
like a hydraulic press which accom-
plisles large results quietly and unos-
tentatiously by the exercise of tre-
mendous and unnoticeable energy,
which is all the more effective because
1t is noiseless. constant and under
perfect control And. like that same
hydraulic press, Governor Wood is self
contained, imperturbable and solidly
constructed.
The whole army knows all about
General Woods physical prowess, his
skill as a boxer. his reputation as an
all-around athlete. But it remained
for the '.after-surrender" days of Sam
tiago to develop the fact that MS an ex-
executive official dlomat. cven-tem-
pcred judge and adroit handler of men
Governor Wood has few equals
l asked General Wood about five
minutes after he had taken his seat at
the desk formerly used by the Spanish
governor general what he would do
first.
"Clean out about 200 years of dirt"
he replied.
That very hour the first gang of Gu
bans was put TO work on the streets.
The first week of his administration
Governor Wood was In the saddle eigh-
teen hours day He personally
Inspected every foot Of every street, al
ley, court and lane In old Santiago. He
made house to house canvass, exam
lining interior courts, rooms and hall
ways, and before the Spaniards and
Cubans Of the city knew what had hap
pened they were whitewashing their
houses, digging dirt out of their courts.
sweeping their halls, cleaning their
rooms and obediently and dutifully fill
ing barrels with refuse. which was set
out every morning on the curbs of the
narrow sidewalks for the carts and
quarterlnasters' wagons which patrolled
the town.
The citizens did this unusual, this
unprecedented, kind of work not under
orders Of Governor Wood, but because
the alcalde-the mayor of Santiago
had issued the instructions. Governor
Wood, with that diplomatic craft
which has enabled him to administer
the municipal affairs without friction
never put his name under an order,
ordinance or official proclamation in the
earlier days of the American occupa-
tion Of Santiago. All such papers were
signed by the mayor of the city. but
they were written in General Woods
office and carried across the hall to the
mayors office.
The military governor Of Santiago
was a veritable Pooh-Bah: he was
mayor, corporation counsel. commits
sioner of public works, superintendent
Of police, commissioner Of health. oil
inspector, inspector of weights and
,Gnc khyc cipin hur M 81
ter, superintendent of street and alley
cleaning, gas inspector. city attorney,
city collector, city treasurer. city clerk,
chief janitor Of the city hall. desk SER
geant of the central station and police
magistrate. In this continuous mu-
nicipal performance General Wood
played all parts without leaving the
stage, sometimes acting two or more
roles at once.
As police magistrate he was unique.
Most of the men brought before him
were Americans. stevedOres who had
slipped from their ships in the harbOr
or at the docks and hid tried to get
the better of Santiago rum; soldiers
who had run the guard or sneaked
through the lines for a day in the city;
civilians who found themselves in
Santiago and had attempted to run
things on the wide-open policy. The
culprits were lined up in the broad en-
trance Of the governors palace in the
morning, with an armed soldier guard
ing each end of the line. The corporal
Of the guard and sergeant of the pa
troll acted the part Of prosecuting wit
nesses, and ninety-nine times out of
hundred the accused turned states ev-.
idence on himself. pleaded guilty and
threw himself on the mercy of the
court.
As matter of curiosity followed
up a dozen cases-ran them down, as
1t were-and found that Governor
Wood had diagnosed the cases per-
fectly and had graduated the punish
ment according to the degree Of crime
or misdemeanor.-Chicag Record.
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