The Washington times., 1903-07-14
General Woods Promotion.
his Exceptional Advancement Due to
Exceptional Service

Exceptional Service.
The announcement that Brig. Gen.
Leonard Wood is shortly to be ad-
vanced to the grade of major general
has raised both in and out of army
circles a certain furry of hostile crit
icism. 1t is already rumored that
confirmation of General Woods new
appointment will be fought in the
Senate, and that every obstacle which
can be devised by political intrigue
and personal enmity will be raised to
hinder his promotion. It is easy
enough to trace the hostility shown to
General Wood to two distinctive
sources. With certain politicians
seeking to undermine the personal
popularity of President Roosevelt, il
has become fashion to picture Gen
eral Wood as a self-seeking "court
favorite," promoted for merely nom
inal services over the heads of hun
dreds of more deserving senior COM
rades. And in the army itself GER
tain feeling of resentment at General
Woods extraordinary rise in rank is
undoubtedly cherished by scores of
officers who have seen him pass in less
than six years from a staff captaincy
TO a grade which will assure him
within two years more the great prize
of the lieutenant generaley.
1t is argued by army officers that
General Woods promotion by ineal
succession to the place soon to be left
vacant by General Miles and General
Young will give him term Of nearly
twenty years at the head of the army
and will thus make it impossible fo1
any other officer now above the rank
of major to attain that highest prize
in the military service. And this
stoppage Of the regular course of mil
itary promotion will be made tho
basis of fight to suspend-in Gen
eral Woods case at least-the ordi-
nary laws Of advancement by
seniority.
We have some sympathy with the
plea that others must suffer if Gen.
eral Wood is to reap the full fruit OF
the promotions already granted him
Yet it is everywhere the rule of life
that one individual cannot be singled
out for distinction without some los:
Of possible prestige TO other indi
viduals. If General Wood graspeC
the opportunity given him to win q
reputation in Cuba, where other,
failed to see or make an opportunity
that fact cannot now be charged
against the regenerator Of Santiago
Destiny works out its own plans anC
discovers its own favoTite agents
And certainly in the work actually
done in Cuba by General Wood ther,
can be found ample reason for th'
meteoric rise he achieved through i
on the army roster.
When the army in Santiago was IL
fever Of homesickness, when th'
bOgy Of yellow fever stalked largely
through every imagination, whei
Montauk Point was the paradise fo
which every enfeebled spirit in tina
army yearned, General Wood quietl,
and sensibly undertook to hive ant
make life possible once more in a cit
Of pestilence.
He showed by his example wha
could be done to make Santiago o
any other Cuban city a clean ant
wholesome place Of habitation, AM
he blazed the way more than an.
other military commander in Cubi
for the political and physical rehabili
tatiOn which was TO follow.
General Woods exceptional SCI
vices must not be forgotten, when
protest is made against his exception
al military advancement. If he wa
honored much, he also aecomplishe
much, and be still has before hiI
years Of energy and accomplish