Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1903-12-18
WILL NOT BE RECALLED.
Gen. Fsiiss Says Gen. wood 1S All
Right and that False Reports of
Testimony IEavo Been Given to tho


Right and that Palsc Reports of
Testimony IEnvo Been Given to tho
Press.
Washington, Dec. 15.-Secretary
Root has addressed the following let
ter to Senator Proctor, acting chair
man of the committee on military af
fairs:
"Sir: 1 enclose a letter from Brig.
Gen. Tasker II. Bliss, asking attcn-
ton to the report of his recent testi
mony before your committee as n
witness regarding certain objections
to the confirmation of Gen. Wood.
1t appears that the press reports of
Gen. Bliss testimony are the precise
contrary of what he in fact testified.
He wishes this set right for his own
reputation, and l shall take the lib
erty of doing so as far as practicable
by giving his letter to the press.
AT the same time | wish to call
the attention of the committee to
the fact that some person seems to
be persistently furnishing to the
press false statements of the testi-
mony taken before you, the perver-
sion of the evidence being in every
case to the prejudice of Gen. Wood.
1t cannot be doubted that the news
papers publishing these reports be-
lieve them to be true, and that the
reports are sent to them by the rep
resentatives of the press in good
faith, under the same belief. 1t is
evident that some person is under
taking to convey to the press repre-
Sentatives information of what goes
on in the committee, and is taking adj
vantage of the fact that the evidence
is not published to state it falsely,
for the purpose of iniuring Gen.
Wood in the public estimation; so
that while your committee will act
upon the evidence actually before it,
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 evil
hence actually given called for Gen.
Woods presence, i should of course
bring him back from the Philippines,
but | do not feel justified in with
drawing him from the important
duties which he is performing on ac-
count of false reports of evidence
which has never in fact been given.
1t hardly seems fair that an officer
who is not here to protect himself,
but is serving his country faithfully
on the other side of the world,
should have his reputation stabbed
in this way. l earnestly request your
/ committees attention to this sub
/ ject."
Gen. Bliss in his letter contradicts
the report that he strongly opposed
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 Gen. Wood to admit said silver
service free of duty. He says he tes-
titled most positively under oath that
neither directly nor indirectly, YER
bally nor in writing. personally from
him nor through any subordinate nor
| from any person whatsoever had ]
! received even an intimation as to the
remission of duties upon these ar.
ticles; that | ordered the remission
of duty because / believed then and
believe now that it was in accordance
with the law: that if any mistake
was made | was solely responsible
for it. | further testified that during
the two and half years that served
directly under the orders of Gen
Wood as military governor of Cuba
! | know of no action of his that was
1 not consistent with the character OF
| an honorable officer and a man of in
| tegrity.'