The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-28
STRIKING AT THE PRESIDENT.

Reports concerning the lining UP of forces
| for and against the confirmation of Gen
eral Leonard Wood as major general in
matter. The indications are further that
the tight will be led by Democrats in the
Senate. aided by army officers and the
friends of such who think they have been
unfairly treated by the rapid promotion of
| General Wood. There is reason to believe
that the real object of the leaders of the
| fight in the Senate will be 10 hurt Presi-
| dent Roosevelt. Army officers who feel
aggrieved by the rapid promotion of Gen.
eral Wood would naturally like to defeat
his confirmation as major general. and per-
| haps humiliate him if they could, but Dem
| ocratic Senator'S will have no such per-
| sonal animus. Their object Will be to make
political capital by trying to make it ap-
pear that the President has been governed
| by motives of personal favoritism, and
| has thereby established a demoralizins
| precedent.
| The fight Will not open till the Senate
| meets, but In the meantime there are some
4
| the first place. as far as the overslaughing
| of other officers is concerned or the estab-
| fishing OF demoralizing precedent it was
done by the early promotions of General
| Wood, all of which were male by Presi-
dent Mckinley. 1t was President McKin-
ley who commissioned Colonel Wood to
raise the regiment of cavalry known as
| the Rough Riders regiment. and it was
| President Mckinley who made him a
| brigadier general of volunteers. a major
| general of volunteers and a brigadier gen.
eral of the regular army. 1t was President
! Mckinley who made General Wood Gov
ernor of Santiago and, later. Military Gov
ernor OF Cuba, in both of which positions
| he made a splendid record. All Of his early
promotions and assignments to special duty
came from President Mckinley. The only
favors he has received at the hands Of
| President Roosevelt are an assignment to
| duty in the Philippines and his promotion
from the rank of brigadier general to that
of major general in the regular army.
| There Is nothing In this record to supply
| the basis of an attack on President Roose-
Welt If the attack is made it will be
chiefly on the memory of William Nc
Kinley.
! But, no matter from what quarter the
| attack comes against whom it is aimed.
| it will be weak in that 1t will ignore two
essential facts-first. the unquestioned abil-
| ity and prominent services of General
| Wood and. second. the fact that the ques-
| ton of promotion is one that rests ex-
clusively with. the President. No person
denies General Woods ability or fitness to
| command though his actual military ex-
| perience has not been great, and no person
denies that his services in Cuba were such
| as to enttle him to almost any reward in
! the gift of the government. The President
| tons i'm the army. Tradition, precedent
| and CUSTOM. based on sound prin ,iples,
have established certain rules regarding
| promotions, but as far the law is con-
cerned the matter rests wholly with the
] President. The responsibility is on him.
| and he is the sole and final judge as to
the fitness of a promotion. and whether
| Ii will conduce to the honor, welfare and
| efficiency of the army or not. No person
| would contend that if an officer next in
| line of promotion were VIGOROUSLY unfit
| the President would be bound to promote
him. and it is equally true that he is justi-
| fed In promoting an officer over the heads
| of others if, in his opinion, the unusual pro-
motion is deserved. The power, the right
and the responsibility are his. When the
attack on General Wood is made, or rather
the attack on Presidents Mckinley and
! Roosevelt, through him, it will be found to
| be without justification in law or reason.