The sun., 1903-11-23
TnE SUN. MONDAY, NOvnalDnn ~. 1908.


was given To BAKER mr.. RAE sTANxAAD BAxnl
not for publication. but merely ~ his ideas 0. ne
situation
Whereupon Secretary Roof replied
somewhat sharply to Gen. WOOD:
y confess do not SEQ how this paper could have
been written and given TO Mr.. BAKER with any
other view on Mr.. RuNc1E's part than that II would
be published. II he had . specific pledge TO tho
contrary. II Is certainly incumbent upon him to
call BAKRn to account for IL violation"
THE SUN printed on July IA the text Of
the letter which Major RUNC1E wrote to
Mr.. BAKER In forwarding to him the arti-
Gle for publication. 1t should be read
again with reference to the foregoing
statement Of Gen. WOOD and Secretary
RooT's comment thereon:
use this In any way you think At in any publi-
cation. preferably Harpsr's wssklv-but don't put
my name to It unless YOU thtnk u necsssdrv.
But now Is the time 10 print this where II will be
read Things here have recently been even worse
than when you were hore. but there seems to be
dawning light round Warrington. and mdp b.
the beginning OF better day for WOOD as veH as for
Cuba
A few days after his earlier letter to
Gen. WooD, Secretary RooT wrote again,
saying that the President thought that
Gen. WooD himself ought to deal with
Major RUNCIE's case at Havana. At
the same time Mr.. Root sent down a
further indignant demand from Gen.
BROOKE for the punishment Of the author
of the article. Gen. WOOD thereupon
replied to the Secretary Of War that
RUNC1E's act was OF course indiscreet
and censurable, and added:
Prom what know of him would have been
willing to guarantee everything have upon his
statement that he wrote 10 BAKHR In confidence
and not for publication
simultaneously. Gen. WOOD wrote to
Mr.. ROOSEVELT, assuring the latter that
there was absolutely nothing in any
statement which represented RUNc1E as
having attempted by the North American
article to promote his, WOODS, fortunes
at BRooKEs expense.
After this there occurred a newspaper
incident which brought clearly to the
knowledge of all interested the fore
going authorization to Mr.. BAKER to use,
if he thought it necessary, Major RUN
c1Es name In connection with Major
RUNc1E's article when published. There
upon Gen. WooD cabled to the Secretary
of War:
Recall all said In Runcie case about abuse Of
confidence. Am astonlshed."
And in a letter following his cable
despatch Gen. WOOD wrote
-These later developments have been one Of
the most unpleasant surprises ! have ever gone
through"
Turning upon RUNc1E, Gen. WOOD
then demanded an explanation; and
Major RUNC1E wrote thus to his former
friend and beneficiary:
Il am perfectly willing 10 assume my own de-
fence In this matter, though shall do 30 with re-
luctance II It shall be necessary to DO 80. mean
that hope .cH be unnecessary to make public any
further details Of the case"
This will seem to most people like a
deliberate challenge by Major RuNc1E
Of the fullest investigation Of an issue Of
veracity between himself and Gen.
WooD. 1t apparently so seemed to Mr..
RooT, for when he had seen the letter
he wrote to WOOD:
Il don't like tho last paragraph Of RuNcrE's
letter TO you will not, however. waste any time
In discussing the matter further. II Is clear that
public considerations OF the highest importance
arising out Of the necessities Of the future OF Cuba
and orershadoptno all personal Qusatons require
that this incident should be closed without further
public discussion or explanation
And Gen. LEONARD WooD, 80 far as
the public knows and the record shows,
has been perfectly satisfied ever since
the time Of that correspondence to accept
Mr.. RooT's convenient disposition OF the
personal question affecting his, WOODS,
reputation as an officer and gentleman.
He has been content to let the future
of Cuba overshadow the issue Of veracity
between Major RUNc1E and himself.
Ever since the future of Cuba ceased to
be an overshadowing consideration, he
has made no known effort to bring the
personal question to settlement.
1t is not Gen. WOODS anxiety to get
the personal question out of the shadow
and into the light that now brings to the
witness stand his former friend and
generous, unselfsh promoter, whose
friendship and respect and services he
somehow forfeited by bis own conduct
during the period covered by the CORE
spondence from which the foregoing
extracts have been taken.
Islanders and tho Deep.Water Chan
mel Through the Treasury.