The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-16
GEN. WOODS PROMOTION.

y lively and possibly entertaining
! fight is promised in the Senate when,
on next Thursday. the matter of the
confirmation of Gen. Leonard Wood to
be a major general comes up for con-
sideration. Both Senator Teller and
Senator Hanna have given notice of
their opposition to his promotion. Sen
| ator Teller is of the opinion that Gen.
Woods advancement has been alto
gether too rapid and that through 1t
injustice has been done to a number of
officers who have been longer in the
service Senator Hanna maintains
that the promotion should not be
granted until certain grave charges
against Gen. Wood have been cleared
up. 1t Will be recalled that the charges
against Medley, Rathbone and others
in connection with the administration
Of the Cuban posts came up while Gen
Wood was Governor of Cuba. Rath-
bone, who is a close personal and po-
litical friend of Senator Hanna, claims
that his case was prejudiced by GER
tain acts of Gen. Wood. and Senator
Hanna hopes and believes that an in
yestigation by a Senate Committee
would at least in a measure. result in
the viudication of his friend Rathbone.
1t is for Rathbone's sake that he wishes
the Senate to hold up the Wood NOM
nation and make an investigation into
his career.
There is, however. a better reason
for an inquiry. The proposed promo
ton would put Gen. Wood in com
mand of an army in the event of war,
and place him within six numbers of
the lieutenant generalship. 1t would
make him available for the position of
chief of staff within a short time, while
officers older and more experienced in
the service remained in subordinate
positions.
Gen. Wood is now 40 years old. Up
to 1898 he was a surgeon in the army,
with the rank of captain. Then he be-
came colonel of the regiment of Rough
Riders, with Theodore Roosevelt as
lieutenant colonel. This was his first
command of troops. which he held for
only two months, when he assumed
the civilian duties of the administration
of the province of Santiago. Later he
was civil administrator of the island of
Cuba. These duties gave him very lit
tie if any military experience. That
he made a good Governor of both San
tiago and Cuba has never been de-
MED; but because a man is a good civil
executive it does not necessarily fol-
low that he is also a good military
commander. Barring his brief connec-
ton with the Rough Riders. it is said
that Gen. Wood never drilled a COM
pany, a battalion or a. regiment. And
yet it is proposed to make him divis-
ion commander and place him in a po-
sition to become the ranking officer of
the army.
The administration senators meet all
criticisms with the assertion that Gen.
Wood received his brigadier general
ship from President Mckinley as a
reward for his notable services in Gu
ba, that the army regulations made it
impossible for President Mckinley to
advance him to any other grade than
that of brigadier general, and that his
promotion to that grade having been
confirmed by the Senate at that time.
it is now too late for the same body
TO consider the expedency of such
rapid promotion. The nomination by
President Roosevelt. it is asserted,
comes to Gen. Wood by virtue of his
seniority following the nomination by
President Mckinley: that had Presi-
dent Roosevelt declined or neglected to
make the nomination it would have
been a Reputation of the act of Pres
ident Mckinley in naming him to be
a brigadier general.