Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1903-12-18
SEC'Y ROOT FOR GEN. WOOD
SAYS REPORTS SENT OUT BY
NEWSPAPERS ARE UNTRUE.
Has Addressed a Letter to Senator
Proctor of the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs-Refuses to Bring Gen.
Wood Back from Manila to Testify
Before COMMITTEES.

BEFORE Commtttee.
Washington, Dec. 16.-Secretary
Root has addressed the following let
ter to Senator Proctor, acting chair
man of the committee on military af-
fairs:
Sir: | enclose letter from Brig
adler General Tasker H. Bliss, asking
attention to the report of his recent
testimony before your committee as a
witness regarding certain objections
to the confirmation Of General Wood.
1t appears that the press reports OF
General Bliss testimony are the pre-
else contrary of what he in fact testl'
fed. He wishes this set right for
his own reputation and l shall take
liberty of doing so as far as practical
BILE by giving his letter to the press.
"At the same time I wish to call
the attention of the committee to the
fact that some persons seem to be
persistently furnishing to the press
false statements of the testimony TAX
en- by you, the perversion of the EVIL
dence being in every case to the pref
udice of General Wood. 1t can not
be doubted that the newspapers pub
fishing these reports believe them to
be true and that the reports are sent
to them by the representatives of the
press in good faith under the same
belief. 1t is evident that some person
is undertaking to convey to the press
representatives information Of what
goes on in the committee and is TAX
ing advantage of the fact that the evil
dence is not published to state 1t false
ly for the purpose Of injuring General
Wood in the public mind; so that
while your committee will act upon
the evidence actually before 1t. the
public judgment as to how you ought
to act will be based upon an entirely
different and erroneous idea of what
the evidence is.
"If the evidence actually given call
ed for General Woods presence I
should, of course, bring him back from
the Philippines, but l do not feel JUS
titled in Withdrawing him from the
important duties which he is perform
ing on account of false reports of evil
dence which has never in fact been
given. 1t hardly seems fair that an
officer who is not here to protect him
self, but is serving his country faith
fully under orders on the other side
of the world, should have his reputa-
tinr or In, Syctlu
request your committees attention to
this subject. Very respectfully,
"ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of War.
Bliss Letter.
General Bliss, In his letter, contra.
diets the report that he strongly op-
posed the admission without payment
Of duty of the silver service purchased
in New York by the Jai Alai and that
he received mandatory instructions
from General Wood to admit said sill.
yer service free Of duty. He says he
testified most positively under oath
that neither directly nor indirectly
verbally or in writing, personally from
him or through any subordinate, nor
from any person whatsoever had he
received even an intimation as to the
remission Of duties upon these arti,
cles; that l ordered the remission Of
duties because I believed then and do
SO now that it was in accordance with
the law; that If any mistake was made
I was solely responsible for it. fur.
| Their testified that during tho tuo apd
half years that l served directly un
der the orders of General Wood as
military governor of Cuba know OF
no action of mis- that was not consis.
tent with the character Of an honor.
able officer and man of integrity"
Another National Park.