New-York tribune., 1901-02-12
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE
THE PRESIDENTS PROMOTIONS OF
ARMY OFFICERS DISCUSSED.
FIGHT OVER THE NOMINATIONS OF GEN
ERALS WOOD. GRANT AND BELL
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE-l


ence at the White House to-day on the subject
of the Presidents promotion of officers TO fill
the grades in the Army was promptly followed
| this afternoon by the confirmation In the SEN
ate of Lieutenant General Miles and Major
Generals Young Chaffee and Macarthur The
brigadier- generals grade. for which twelve
nominations were made last Tuesday, is still
under Senatorial deliberation. with prospect OF
delay until the conviction is created on Capitol
Hill that sufficient existed for the eleva-
tion of Leonard Wood Frederick D. Grant and
J. Franklin Bell to that rank over such multi
tude of colonels. leutenant-colonels majors and
captains of long service in the Regular estao-
| lishment The fight these three appoint
ments which has temporarily stopped the pro
motion Of deserving officers against whom there
is objection. and has clogged all the vast
machinery of reorganization. is not unlike that
which defeated the naval rewards for Santiago
though devoid of bitterness and partisanship.
The Army is exerting little influence in the
controversy. II is not opposing the Bell nomi-
nation. at any rate. recognizing the excellent
principle of selection involved in this case which
is conceded to have military merit al
though il is a prevalent belief throughout the
Army that Bell might have rested for while
| at least in the regimental grades. perhaps as
colonel.
As 10 the cases of General Wood and General
Grant there is much greater diversity of opinion
| in the service while in the Senate the opposi-
tion TO these appointments Us said to he exceed
| ingly set.
THOSE IN THE CONFERENCE.
To-day's conference was brought about nv
visit made TO the White House by Senator Haw
| ley. chairman of the Military Affairs Committee.
which at first declined to make favorable re-
port them TO the Senate without further in
formation The President summoned Secretary
Root and Colonel Carter. stant adjutant-
general who brought from the War Department
the efficiency records OF all the officers in
volved. These records are regarded as conf
Dental by the War Department. They give
tracts Of every mention ever officially made of
officer in routine or special reports. of his
number OF days on duty and off. his sick leaves,
his detached tours opinion of him from su-
periors. and a vast deal OF tabulated brefed
information including everything remotely dis
creditable IT is extremely unusual for such
papers to be sent TO the Senate. but Senators
frequently have access 70 them when nomtna-
tions pending.
Adiutant- General Corbin has given public as
| surances that there is nothing in the records OF
Wood. Grant and Bell that they would not be
proud 10 have published did not the regulations
prevent. There is in the three records only
single entry, IL is asserted, that could be con-
strued TO be on the wrong side of the ledger.
and that Is nothing more heinous than Grants
resignation from the Army in 1881. ar action
that -aer '.r''4 taonoratie cirou nstars,es-
Among the entries in General Woods papers
is the following:
Medal % honor for distinguished conduct in the
! campaign against the Apache Indians during the
summer Of 1850. while serving as medical officer
with Captain Lawtons expedition
Another OF similar notice which occurs IN
BELLS record is the following:
Medal Of honor for most distinguished galIantry
In action September g. 1899 near Porac. LuZon.
Philippine Islands while in advance OF his regt-
ment charging seven Insurgents with his pistol and
compelling the surrender Of the captain and two
pryates. under a close and hot fiEe from the re
naming nsurgents concealed ss In sanPoe tRieket
teers.
In further justification Of the promotion of
these officers as acknowledgements over large
numbers Of Regular officers who ranked them
before the Spanish war. it is shown that Wood.
Grant and Bell. respectively, have held rank as
| brigadier- generals since July s. 1898: May -.
1895. and December > 1899 and from those
dates have actually commanded most of the Of
icers now passed over. II is also shown that
most of the officers Jumped have failed 10 take
part in any actual battles or have not excited
favorable comment in the discharge of such
duties as their qualifications entitled them TO he
assigned to-
All the close of the conference Senator Hawley
when asked as 10 the outcome. said that the
matter was wholly confidential. and that he had
merely been trying 10 pour oil on the troubled
waters"
PRESIDENTS INTEREST IN WOODS CASE.
What will be the result of the fight General
Wood in particular cannot now be foretOld as
Senator's are reluctant TO talk about the case. II
is the first time the President has encountered
any apparently serious opposition since the be-
ginning of his Administration. He has worked
in perfect harmony with the Senate in all nomi-
nations both in those in which he person
ally interested and in those in which he merely
had an official or party interest. In the cases OF
the few nominations that were defeated by lack
OF action otherwise, the President has not
ATTEMPTED to make issue with the Senate
He has yielded without a thought OF i'll feeling.
1t is generally recognized. however that in the
nomination of General Wood the President feels
possibly induce him TO make an issue If forced
TO do His selections OF General Wood for
various high posts have all proved satisfactory
to him, and have convinced him that his conf
dence not misplaced or his judgment In
error. He is understood TO believe that General
Woods services should he most substantially
rewarded. Many Senators have expressed the
same opinion. and there is a strong belief that
the opposition TO General Wood is not
tensive as is supposed. He is said to have i'm
the Senate many warm admirers, who think he
has not been rewarded more than he deserved.
Backed by these ardent supporters and by the
President there is naturally much doubt as to
whether there will be disposition to lessen the
honors that have been bestowed. The Presi-
dent may decide later to place the three names
al the foot of the list of brigader generals, but
no one now believes that he would withdraw
General Woods name from the list.
In the case OF General Grant similar conditions
prevail. His senior officers in the Philippines
have recommended his promotion. their reports
have repea tedIy made reference to his zeal and
To his credtable campaigns in districts where
the work of the American soldier has been most