The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-15
FALSE REPORTS.
Secretary Root Says Truth Is
Not Told About Wood.

Washington, Dec. 15.-Secretary Root
has addressed the following letter to
Senator Proctor acting chairman on
military affairs:
I enclose a letter from Brigadier
General Tasker H. Bliss asking atten-
ton to the report of his recent tesri-
mony before your commission as wit
ness regarding certain objections to the
confirmation of General Wood. 1t ap-
pears that the press reports of General
Bliss testimony are the precise con-
trary of what he in fact testified. He
wishes this set right for his own repu-
tation and 1 shall take the liberty of
doing so as far as practicable by CIV
ing his letter to the press.
At the same time [ wish to call the
attention of the committee to the fact
that some persons seem to be per-
sistently furnishing to the press false
statements of the testimony taken be-
fore the committee being in every case
to the prejudice of General WoOa. 1t
cannot be doubted that the newspapers
publishing 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 be-
lief. 1t is evident that some person I'M
dertaking to convey to the press repre-
sentatives information of what goes on
in the committee is taking advantage
of the fact that the evidence is not
purpose of injuring General Wood. So
that while your committee will act up
on 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 actual
ly given called for General Woods pres
ence should of course bring him back
from the Philippines but 1 do not feel
justified in withdrawing him from the
inn mt 1Eb no c n6Tfnrn1-
ing on account of false reports of evil
dence which has never in fact been Civ
en-. 1t hardly seems fair that an officer
who is not here to protect himself put
is serving mis- country faithfully under
orders, on the other side of the world.
should have Ibis reputation stabbed in
this way. 1 earnestly request your COM
mittee's attention to this subject.
'.ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of War"
General Piss 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 Ja1-Alai. and that
he received mandatory instructions
from General Wood to admit said sill
yer service free of duty. He says he
testified under oath that neither direct
ly nor indirectly. verbally nor in writ
ing, personally from him or through
any subordinate nor from any person
whatsoever. ndd received even an
intimati0n as to the remission of du-
ties upon these articles: that I ordered
the remission of duty because I be-
lieved then and believe now that it
was in accordance with the law: that
if any mistake was made / was solely
responsible for it. I further testified
that during the two and a half years
that I served directly under the or
ders of General Wood as military gov
ernor Of Cuba I know of no action of
his that was not consistent with the
character Of an honorable officer and
man of integrity