The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-12
WOOD is SCORED
BY SENATOR sCoTTvs REVIEW OF
EVIDENCE.
GIFTS FROM THE JAI ALAl
AND REFLECTIONS UPON BROOKE
HIS CHIEF OFFENCES,

Senator Scott Makes n Strong Per-
sOn"I Argument Against the APP
pointment of Wood to BE a Major
GcnernI-WOOd Not n Soldier So
Much as a Physician and Sanitary
Othcer-ShOuId Not BE jumped
Over 100 Brave Officers.
Washington, Jan. Ex-senator Scott
Oh the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs has submitted in executive SEES
sion of the Senate review of the evil
dence introduced before the commit
tee in the hearing on the nomination
OF Brig. Gen. Wood to be a major
general.
senator Scott gives his reason for
opposing confirmation. He quotes
many points brought out against Gen.
Wood, particularly those in connection
with charges that Gen. Wood accepted
gifts from the Jai Alai Company, a
gambling institution of Havana. and
was guilty of completely with Mai
James E. Runcie in the preparation
and publication of an article rejecting
discreditably on Mai Gen. John r..
Brooke, his ranking officer.
Senator Scott makes a strong per-
sonal argument to the Senate in OPP
position to the appointment of Gen.
Wood to be major general, saying
that the person to be confirmed should
be highly qualified and in every way
worthy and above suspicion.
Commenting on statement in the
brief of Senator Foraker, calling at
tention to the fact that it was Presi-
Mckinley who jumped Gen. Wood over
hundreds of officers in the army, SEN
ator Scott says
I'VE are told that Augustus boast
| ed that he found Rome of brick and
left it of marble, and SO, perchance.
may Gen. Wood lay claim to the boast
{ that he found Cuba den of filth and
! disease and left it with a sewerage
! system. This. however, goes to his
credit as a physician and as a sanitary
offer and does not, in any sense. show
his fitness to command a body of
| troops.
Mckinley Would Have Regretted.
The evidence in this case cutie
| clearly establishes the fact that he was
appointed because Of his supposed ca
pacity as civil governor, and there is
much to throw doubt upon the question
| of whether even his appointment as
| brigadier general was not regretted by
! the President. and no one viii believe
that Mr.. Mckinley would ever have
| thought of promoting him to a ma or
! genera1ship, certainly not in the light
of the present developments.
| Referring to the conduct of Gen.
/ m nd ta
Brooke, Senator Scott says that no i'm
partial person can review the evidence
| in this matter without reaching the
| conclusion that the charge of disloyalty
| is fully established. He says the cir
cumstances so strongly support the
| charge and exclude the theory Of in
nocence of Gen. Wood that IL he We're
being tried by a jury of his country
men for a crime upon like evidence.
and under like circumstances. his con-
viction would result beyond question.
Wood There Every Sunday.
In reference to the support given by
Gen. Wood to gambling games played
in the Jai Alai Company's Front
on" Senator Scott says it is shown
by the testimony that Gen. Wood was
I a habitual attendant of the game, es-
peclally spending his Sundays there,
on which days the betting reached as
high as $4,000
Senator Scott comments on the evil
dence introduced, tending to reflect
directly upon Gen. Woods character
as man by impeaching his integ-
rity and veracity, and then, after
summing up other charges. says:
ITO my mind, a most grievous in
justice has been done in the prefer
ment of Gen. Wood over a hundred
or more old army officers-officers who
Haf
Observation-Disclosures where more lives
were lost and more prisoners taken In
one day than during the entire Span
ish-American War"