Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-07-01
WILL. NOT TAKE SIDES.
Gen. Wood an Extraordinary Man
To Recruit a Volunteer Force.
tFrom our Regulsr correspondents.


busy bodies are all working over-time
TO array President Mckinley On one side
Of the contest for the Michigan Senator
ship. but il is waste Of time and energy.
President Mckinley is no more likely ID
take sides in that contest than IS any
other citizen OF another state. Senator
Mcmillan, who is candidate for re-clec-
ton, is his warm personal friend, and SO
is Secretary Alger, who has announced
his candidacy, II is ridiculous to say. as
some are doing. that the contest involves
the control Of the Michigan delegation 10
the Republican National Convention. Ii
docs nothing OF the sort. Ii has bsen
stated for months past by every Michigan
Republican IN Congress. and by Secretary
Alger that the Michigan delegation to
the next National Convention was bound
To be unanimous for the denomination Of
President Mckinley. because that is the
sentiment Of the voters. What then
could be President Mckiney's object III.
interfering in the Senatorial contest?
That contest will be settled by the Re-
publican voters Of Michigan. Whether it
will cause the resignation of Secretary
Alger is question that he can answer
better than anybody else. He will not
necessarily do SO, but he may consider il
expedient TO resign. TO remove any re
straint that his candidacy might have upon
the actions OF the President. and also in
order TO better look after his own inter-
csts. That President Mckinley would
ask for his resignation because he was
candidate for the Senate is improbable.
There is nothing about Cabinet port
folio that operates to deprive its holder OF
anyrIght possessed by private citizens If
there were, il would be as difficult for our
President TO get Cabinet as it IS for the
President OF France to get one. Secrc-
tary Alger is now in Washington, having
Just returned from vacation, but he
says he has nothing to add to what he
has already said about his candidacy for
the Senate.
Gen. Leonard Wood, former command
er Of the Rough Riders, and now Military
Governor Of Santiago, has furnished adj
ditional proof that he is an extraordinary
man, by declining an offer Of $4,000 a
year to become President Of the big syn
dictate which has bought nine Of Wash
ington street railways ana its two cleo
trio light companies, and-is preparing to
put them all under a single management.
although the salary offered was more
than FIVE times the amount he receives as
Brigadier General of Volunteers. Cen.
Wood will return TO Cuba at once. be-
cause he believes it is his duty to do 50.
He speaks Of his doing SO in the most
matter of-fact tone. He said: Il intend
to remain in the military service Of the
government as long as the service needs
me. feel in honor bound to return to
Santiago, now that yellow fever is report
ed to have broken out there. Gen.
Wood has doubts about the sickness
at Santiago being yellow fever, re-
calling his experience there last year with
pernicious malarial fever. which caused
men to drop in the streets. and which a
number of experts pronounced to be yell
low fever. Speaking Of the Cuban situa-
ton, he said 1T is an easy matter to get
stir up riot in Santiago today, if you
tried. Everybody is contented for the
first time for years. We have only to
give the Cubans good government, SO
good that they will be reluctant to do
without it, and that is an easy matter.
1t is expected that when President Nc
Kinley returns to Washington. he will
issue orders for the recruiting of volun-
teer force. not necessarily to be sent to
the Philippines, but to be organized, drill
ed, and kept in readiness as an emergency
force, in case Gen. Otis should decide at
any time that he needs more men than
hnx rf,auItr haat, nrIavsaI RI, Tha
administration isn't bit worried about
Gen. Otis, Notwithstanding the rawlings of
the hair-trigger editors about the danger
he is in, by reason of Aguinado's alleged
preparation to attack Manila with the
largest Filipino army that has yet been in
the field. On the contrary. the admins
tration knows that Gen. Otis would regard
it as the greatest good fortune for Agu-
naldo to march his army against Manila.
as it would give him exactly what he has
been trying so hard to get-an opportunity
to fight pitched battle with the entire
Filipino army, and put an end TO the re-
volt in short ORDER A little patience is
sometimes a good thing to have. Cen
Otis is an experienced commander. He
knows what he wants to do, the obstacles
b FIRE him, and that he can have anything
he asks for from the administration to ac-
complish what he IS there to do. He has
not had a single reverse since assuming
command in the Philippines. Therefore,
there is not single valid reason for sup
posing that every Tom, Dick and Harry
knows better what he needs and what he
ought to have than he does himself while
there is every reason for confidently
trusting that he will succeed in due time
in putting down the revolt. and that none
of the direful predictions Of his failure
will be realized.