The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-17
ROOT DEFENDS
GENERAL WOOD
Secretary Of War Before Senate
Military Committee.
TAKES BLAME UPON HIMSELF
A-
RATHBoNE OFFERS TO FURNISH
MORE WITNESSES.
TAXES BLAME UPON HIMSELF

Dec. fS.-Secretary
Wv Root was the first witness today
before the senate committee on
military affairs which is investigating
the protests against The confirmation
Of General Leonard Wood to be major
general
Mr.. Roots testimony was in defense
of General Wood on ..,e charges that
have been made during the course Of
hearings. He read extracts from off,
cial correspondence bearing on the
charges and also concerning General
Woods administration as governor
general of cuba. He was ON the wit
ness stand two and one cau hours.
Senator Teller was present and asked
Secretary Root a number Of Questions
bearing on the case, many Of WHICH
were suggested by the testimony the
secretary gave Secretary Root d-d
not conclude his testimony. nor did
Senator Teller submit All the questions
he desired and the committee decided
TO meet at s o'clock tonight when Sec
rotary Root VIII again appear.
Carefully Prepared Defense,
The secretary's statement was an
elaborate and carefully prepared de-
Tense of General Wood. He made a
specific reply TO each of the charges
/ that have been urged 80 far against
General Woods confirmation. and as
sumcd responsibility . many Of the
things charged against General Wood,
among others. il r. understood. the
granting Of a license to the Jai Alai-
He devotes particular attention TO
the attack upon the integrity OF the
official accounts of the Cuban treasury
while under General Woods admins
tration and he was prepared, with any
amount of data, to answer to the
charges of loose and faulty accounting
and auditing. He took occasion TO say
that the weakness Of this charge might
/ have been established long ago had the
senate printed the accounts which he
| transmitted to that body Last winter
I in answer to a resolution
Roots Responsibility.
Secretary Root was asked especially
about the charge which Major RathbOue
made that General Wood had Influenced
/ the courts in the prosecution Of RathbOnc
and had tempered with the courts The
! secretary explained at some length the
court system i'm Cuba. saying that the
court Of first instance was in reality an
officer directed to prosecute and TO OBJ
tain evidence. He was something like a
grand jury in finding evidence. out was
/ further empowered TO go out and obtain
I evidence. mingle with the people procure
afIdavtts and otherwise collect evidence
against alleged offenders. He said be
knew what General Woods was doing iu
l this matter. and approved it. The seCre-
tary said that I'm fact he directed that the
{ prosecution Of the offenders be vigorous,
and General Wood was acting I'm this
matter under orders from the war de-
partment
Not a Gambling Game.
The secretary took up the subject Of the
Jai Ala company concession and sald
that this was not a gambling company.
nor was the game pelOta, played under
4 the management OF the company. gam
/ bling game any more than was horse
race or a game Of baseball. Men could
bet on the results as upon other games
Of skill He said that the concession OF
| right Of the Jai Alai company was grant
ed before the American occupation, and
that the concession for which General
Wood had been criticised was more OF an
addition to the building Of the company.
The only question in regard 10 this grant
was whether or not 1t would be contrary
to the Foraker amendment. The whole
matter was referred TO the war depart
ment by General Wood.
Nebraska Lawyer Decided.
I The subject was first considered by
/ Judge MagoOn. law officer Of the bureau
Of insular affairs, who. after most care
/ ful review of the case, had held that the
! extension did not come within the Fora
{ ker amendment preventing the granting
( of a franchise in cuba. The secretary
! said he reviewed Judge BagoOns opinion
/ authority granted to the company was
! then approved by the war department,
| so that General Wood i'm this matter act
[ ed under the instructions and with the
! approval Of the war department.
I The committee received today COM
I municati0n from Major Estes Q. Rath-
/ bone asking that he be called again TO
I direct attention TO q number OF Things
which he said the committee had tg-
nored. He asked that his several requests
[ for the subpoena Of Colonel Lebo, Four
60 ~asF# al
upon. He suggested that Colonel Lebo
{ be questioned 10 bring out the fact that
I General Leonard Wood was not with ms
. command on the first days tight at
Santiago on July T. 1898. Request also
was made that Major General S. S. sum
ner be examined on the same subject.
Rathbone's Witnesses.
Attention was called by Major Rath-
I bone TO the fact that the committee had
! been asked several times to subpoena
Major Orlando Quicker of Havana. n. Nd
! than of Denver. Lieutenant Brooks. eX-
/ auditor Of cuba. and W, II. Lancashire,
an Ax-auditiBE officer Of Cuba The com
! mitfee is asked i'm this statement. unless
I the character of the correspondent, Bel
/ lairs when he made Beilairs hfs friend
I and recommended that the Associated
I Press retain him in its employ. TO call Mr..
/ Cairns, formerly special agent under
! General Bliss IN Havana Other wit
! nesses- asked for by Major Hathpone
4
/ Albert Miller Of Canton. O.. and Cory
don A. Rich Of Muncie. Ind. and Francis
! H. Leupp. Washington correspondent OF
the New York Evening Post. IN this con-
nection the committee had been asked
I to obtain correspondence between General
3 William Ludlow and the adiutaut genel al
/ Of the army growing out Of an interview
! in the New York Evening Post concern
I ing yellow fever conditions I'm Havana
| and Cuba under the Brooke and Wood
l administrations.
HEARING ENDED