The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1902-06-19
A Symphony in Graft.

is an intimate friend of Root and
Roosevelt. Mr.. Root is an intimate
friend of Roosevelt aud Wood; Mr..
Roosevelt is an intimate friend of Root |
and Wood. 1t therefore follows, as
the night the day, and Gen. Wood had
no difficulty in obtaining $4,000 a
year with perquisites for acting as
military governor of Cuba. Though
brigadier-general in the regular army,
he drew the salary of major-general,
$1,000. Though prohibited by law
from receiving any further compensa-
ton, he received 81, 500 for acting as
governor of Cuba. And in addition to
all this he was allowed $4,000 for en-
tertainment and is said to have received
valuable presents from gambling
syndicate. 1t will be remembered that
when Gen. Wheeler and other con-
gresham volunteered for the war with
Spain, they declined to receive their
congressional salary, considering it
improper to take two salaries. 1t was
also recognized by them as illegal to
draw pay for both offices. Gen. Wood
however, has no such scru pies. 1t is
true that part Of his salary came out Of
the Cuban treasury, but this does not
make it proper. Mr.. Neely's opera
tions could be amply justified on q
similar ground. If he did take money
that he was not entitled to, it WASH It
American, but Cuban money; and the
theory of Secretary Root is that we
had a perfect right to do as we would
with the revenues of the occupied ter
ritory, even the right to use Cuban
money to influence American legisla-
ton.
1t is not easy for the average Ameri-
can to understand why the provisional
governor of Cuba should have been al
lowed $4,000 for entertainment" in
addition to salary Of $4,000. There
isn't state III the union that allows
its governor SO much as 10 cents for
such purposes. The United States
make no such allowances for any of its
public servants.
Cuba is state with a population of
about million and a half, one-third OF
which is black. Yet the temporary
governor of this insignificant island
receives an allowance equal to the COM
bined salaries of the governors of Ala
bama, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Ne
braska, New Hampshire, North Caro-
lima and Oregon. Gen. Woods "drink
bill' alone equaled the combined sal.
aries of the governors of Vermont,
Oregon and New Hampshire. There
is no less than thirty three governors
in the United States whose salaries is
not as large as the sum allowed Gen.
Wood for the drinks and the cigars. 1t
cannot be said that Gen. Woods ser.
vices as governor of Cuba were of such
au exceptional order that he was Justly
entitled to such extraordinary compen.
sation. The real work of rehabilita.
ton in Cuba had been done by Brooke
and Ludlow. Under Wood, we be,
lieve, the medical department of the
army made the important discovery
that yellow fever and malaria are prop
agated by mosquitoes. Inasmuch al
the propagation of malaria in this way
had already been discovered in Italy
and small Virginia city had for two
or three years been treating the mos
quito pest with coal oil, the import.
ant discovery under Wood seems to
have been rather a secondhand affair.
In addition to the allowance of $780,
so, 900 was at his direction taken from
the Cuban treasury and handed oyel
to the agent of the sugar trust to influ-
ence congressional legislation in the
interest of the trust. 1t is also rum
ored that he paid large sums to Gomez
and other patriots in order to pacify
them. In short he seems to have haG
carte blanche to buy up blackmailer'
and contributs money to affect Ameri'
can legislation. Wemay sum up the
entire episode with the remark that
Gen. Wood was paid $50, 1000 year fol
being the personal friend of Presiden
Roosevelt. Commercial Appeal.