Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-06
VIEWS OF MINORITY
OPPOSITION TO THE PROMOTION
OF GEN. WOOD.
Nomination Comes Up in Executive
Session, but Is Passed By With
out Discussion.

Tn the executive session of the Senate
yesterday afternoon the nomination Oh
General Wood came up In the regular Or
der, but was passed on the suggestion OF
the absence of several of the senators in
terested. There was no discussion of the
nomination.
Views of the minority OF the Senate com
mittee on military affairs. protesting
against the confirmation Of Gen. Leonard
Wood to be major general, have been pre-
pared In the form Of a brief to be used oy
the opponents of this nomination when the
reports of the committee are. presented Tor
action Of the Senate In executive session.
The brief follows the testimony introduced
before the Senate committee in the investi-
CATION. which was begun November 19 ana
continued until December IL. directing the
attention of senators to passages In the
printed report of the testimony and en-
fore the committee. 1t Is declared that
most Of the important matters brought OUT
in the hearing came to public knowledge
subsequent to General Woods promotion
to the brigadier generalship. and that no
competent Investigation has yet been made
in regard to the actual facts Of General
Woods military career and experience.
These assertions are made for the purpose
Of meeting the argument OF Senator For
aker that objections to General Woods ad-
vancement should have been made when
President Mckinley had under considera-
ton the matter Of promoting him to be
brigadier general.
Orders in Rathbone's Case.
First submitted in the brief is the argu-
ment that 1t Is not denied that the orders
to the courts. which were introduced by
Mr.. e. G. Rathbone, were actually issued
by General Wood as military governor.
These orders were for the admission of ex
parte testimony, and in that connection
attention has been called by the minority
to an order issued by the Secretary of War
Of which General Woods orders are de-
clared to have been perversion Of instruc-
lions.
Secretary Roots order was promulgated
by Colonel Scott as adJutant general No
vember IA, 1901, and transmitted to the
court November Is, 1901. In this military
order the prosecution is instructed that II
1t has any intention of using as evidence
in the trial of the postal cases testimony
applied for In the United States steps
should be taken to Immediately inform the
proper judicial authorities that this cannot
be allowed" Another paragraph of the
same order says: IA trial in which there
are used 'ex parte dispositions, given by
persons whom there is no opportunity to
cross ,examine. is not fair and impartial
trial and accordingly such dispositions can
not be used at the trial. The minority
says that to get around this order General
Wood used his authority as military gov
OF the island.
The Pardon Of Reeves.
The second count in the brief of the MI
nority relates to the pardon of w. H
Reeves and his testimony in the postal
cases In this connection the attention Of
the Senate is directed to the statement of
Gen. Wood in answer to the charges filed
by Mr.. Rathbone Gen. Wood tells the cir
Cum9tancaa Under w
dered money received from Nicely in the
Cuban postal frauds and afterward turned
states evidence In the trials. Gen. Wood
said that in pardoning Reeves he believed
he had the right to constitute him a wit
ness for the state. for although Reeves
had been defendant, The had confessed
freely and fully concerning the frauds
committed in the Post Office Department"
The brief then refers to the testimony of
Charles r. Fisher, formerly managing ed
itor of the Havana Post and representative
of the Associated Press. to prove that Gen
Wood had promised Reeves Immunity from
prosecution If he would give testimony in
the postal cases "of the character to help
the governments cause 1t Is charged
further that Gen. WOOD failed to inform
the court that he had promised to pardon
Reeves. and that in consequence Of such
failure the court regarded Reeves as a de-
PENDANT and permitted him to testify with
out the solemnfty OF an oath.
Alleged Breach Of Promise.
Gen. Wood is charged in the third count
with having violated promise made to
Lieut.. James r. Runcie not to cause the
arrest Of Croydon NJ. Rich, who had been
an assistant to Mr.. Nicely In the finance
department Of the department of posts |
Mr.. Rich was a client Of Lieut.. Runcie, |
and no charge had been made against him. |
Lieut. Runcie testified that Gen. Wood had |
pledged that he would not cause the ar
rest Of Rich. and that the pledge had been |
cd n Rrrna ny,A Dinl, 10
gether. Rioh afterward was arrested and |
placed incommunicado for several days. |
even opportunity to consult his counsel |
having been denied him. This incident was |
described by Lieut.. Runcie as the begin |
mag of the estrangement between himself !
and Gen. Wood, though IL was long after