The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-14
WOODS WORK
GOVERNOR OF SANTIAGO DISCUSSES
HIS ADMINISTRATION.
Many Things Yet Necessary to BE
Done-Gambling In Havana-Arms
Stolen by Cubans

NEW YORK, June 13.-Maj. Gen. Leonard
Wood has written for the forthcoming issue
of the Independent on The Establishment
of the Civil Government in the Province of
Santiago" OF the main purpose of his own
administration of Santiago affairs, General
Wood says: Whatever work has been done
here has been founded upon the belief that
no liberal form of government can exist ex-
cept among an intelligent, w~ell-educated
people; that such government must be based
upon a profound respect for the civil, rather
than the military law. and that its main re-
lance must be upon the industries of the
country. avoided, to the greatest possible
extent, the old Spanish system of officialism
combined with militarism."
The writer says of conditions In official
life: Under the old system men went to
their offices at 9 a. m, left at IL a. IN. and
came back an hour in the afternoon. There
were a great many clerks, many Of whom
were totally unnecessary. In each little
town one found a great many officials do
ing very little, no s~choolhouses, no sanitary
regulations, in fact nothing Indicative of a
high degree of civilization. 1t was a pedan-
tic humbug from top to bottom"
General Wood tells of the exactions on the
people of sanitary precautions of simple
cleanliness at home and in public places.
He refers to the replacement of the faulty
criminal procedure with active courts, and
the setting up on habeas corpus procedure
Under bill of rights" OF his method of
filling offices General Wood writes: Men
we're appointed to office solely for their
fitness for the position and their selection
never made arbitrarily but always upon the
recommendation of the best citizens. / do
not mean the best men in the social sense,
or in any other sense than those best quail
flied by experience and ability to judge of
the various applicants for Office"
In closing General Wood says: "A people
still hungry. living in ruined towns, devoid
of hospitals, school buildings and systems
of water supply, with an interior country
desolated by the war, untraversed by roads,
in fact thrown back into an almost primeval
denly inflicted on them the enormous ex-
penSe and unnecessary burden of support
ing the officials and offices of a completely
developed and progressive country. All
these things will come in time, but If they
are rushed upon a people thoroughly ac-
oustomed to handling themselves and to
controlling their own affairs. the most dis
aStrous results are sure to follow. We must
thoroughly build the foundation. A mil
itary supervision must necessarily exist Tor
some time. A great success is possible here.
The people are anxious to shake of the
burden of the old laws and Of the pur-
chased concessions and monopolieS, with
their manifold corruptions. They look to
America for reforms, but not Tor a contlnu-
alton of the old conditions. All want good
in short they want to advance There is a
wonderful opening here for energy and en-
~terprise. Very little has been done Every
thing is in the future"