The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-19
Leonard Wood.


The attorney general of the United
states, in his brief but significant ad-
dress at the New York Chamber Of
Commerce dinner on Tuesday night,
dismissed as unworthy of notice the
complaint of the anti-cXpansionists
that We lack administrative talent in
this country and should. therefore. as
sumo no new responsibilities. "Only a
year ago" said Mr.. Griggs, "in the
city of Washington there was a young
man, straight lusty and vigorous, who
was simply a surgeon in the regular
army. Today he is the magnificent
and successful governor of Santiago.
And if this country will keep to the
front in the future such men as Leon
ard Wood all the arguments OF dis
tress and of ill-success that have been
prophesicd will fall to the ground"
by an interesting coincidence. as we
were reading this fine tribute from the
personal representative of the presi-
dent of the United States our eye lit
upon a letter from Santiago, written
by Malcolm Mcdowell to the Chicago
Record. which includes some mention
in detail of General Woods work. Says
Mr. Mcdowell: II 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
. L.. ,f
put to work on the streets. The first
week of his administration Governor
Wood was in the saddle eighteen hours
a day. He personally inspected every
foot of every street, alley, court and
lane in old Santiago. He made house
to house canvass, examining interior
courts, rooms and Railways, and be-
fore the Spaniards and Cubans of the
city knew what had happened they
We're whitewashing their houses, uIg-
ging dirt out of their courts, sweeping
their halls, cleaning their rooms and
obediently and dutifully filling barrels
with refuse, which was set out every
morning on the curbs of the narrow
sidewalks for the carts and quarter
masters wagons which patroled the
town.
The military governor of Santiago
was 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
measures, port physician, harbor mas
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 muni-
| cipal 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 harbol
or at the docks and had tried to get
the better Of Santiago rum; soldiers
who had run the guard or sneakeC
through the lines for a day in the city
| civilians who found themselves in San,
| tiago and had attempted to run things
on the wide-open policy. The culprits
were lined up in the broad entrance o.
! the governors palace in the morning
! with an armed soldier guarding eacl
end Of the line. The corporal of the
| guard and sergeant of the patrol acted
the part of prosecuting witnesses, anC
ninety-nine times out of hundred tn,
accused turned states evidence OF
himself, pleaded guilty and threw him
self on the mercy of the court. Gen
eral Wood was a law unto himself
He addressed himself to the accused
man, and generally three or four in
cisive questions served to convict o.
| discharge.
Sometimes the culprits becam,
fighting mad when sentenced, and tn,
corridor would echo with oaths anC
vociferous appeals to justice and louC
threats to bring the matter before tn,
president or some congressman, Blu
! General Wood, as impassive as a curb
stone. never raised his voice above al
ordinary conversational tone. He woulC
say Take him away as he would sa!
| Good morning. and then would turI
| to the next case. In a short time hi
fame as a police magistrate wen
abroad, and did more to keep tn,
streets of Santiago free from disorderl!
characters than all the armed guards
and patrols. 1t is a broad, wide tuml