The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-06
OF WOOD
AS SEEN BY THE SENATE COM
MITTEE MINORITY.
FACTS OF THE EVIDENCE
UPON WHICH HIS CONFIRMATION
Is OPPOSED.

Upon Seven Counts the Minority
Bases Its Opposition to the Con-
ArmRtIOn of Wood in the Position
! of Major General--The Brief Is to
BE Used by Opponents of the Nom
| inntiOn When the Senate COnsid-
| ers the Matter. .n.4
Washington, Jan. 5.--Views of the
minority of the Senate Committee 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
| by the opponents of his nomination
when the reports of the committee are
presented for action of the Senate in
executive session.
First submitted in the brief is the
| argument that 1t is not denied that the
orders to the courts, which were intro
| duced by Maj e. G. Rathbone, were
actually issued by Gen. Wood as MILL
tary governor. In Secretary Roots or
der the prosecution is instructed that
If it has any intention of using as evil
dence in the trial of the postal cases
testimony applied for in the United
States, steps should be taken to imme-
dately inform the proper judicial au-
thorities that 1t cannot be allowed. The
minority says that to get around this
order Gen. Wood used his authority as
military governor to change the en-
tire Judicial system of the island.
The second count in the brief of the
minority relates to the pardon of w. Fl.
Reeves and his testimony In the postal
cases. Gen. Wood said that in pardon
ing Reeves he believed he had the
right to constitute him a witness of
the state. The brief then refers to the
case Of Charles r. Fisher, formerly
managing editor of the Havana Post
and representative of the Associated
Press, to prove that Gen. Wood had
promised Reeves immunity from pros
ecution if he would give testimony in
the postal cases "of the character to
help the governments cause"
Violated "a Promise.
Gen. Wood is charged in the third
count with having violated promise
made to Maj. James E. Runcie not to
cause the arrest of Corydon, NJ. Rich,
who had been an assistant to Mr.. Nee
ly In the finance department of the de-
partment of posts.
The Runcie magazine article is the
subject of the fourth count. This
statement is made:
"Runcie swears that arrangements
were made between himself, Ray
Stannard Baker and Gen Wood for
m a. ffr1a III
Cuba, and Gen. Wood understood that
the article would be a criticism of Gen.
Brooke s administration. He also swears
that after 1t was written Gen. Wood
asked him If 1t had been written and
sent to Baker"
Concerning the testimony of Mr.. Ba-
ker, this statement is made by the mi
nority:
Baker states that he knew that he
was to receive an article from Run
Gle, and that he was aware of the
tenor of the article. He states that
Gen. Wood was very frank in his ex-
pressions of criticism of the Brooke
administration, and that as a general
result of his visit to Cuba he found
that Gen. Wood was antagonistic to
Gen. Brookes administration"
That Jai Alai silver Service.
The Jai Alai concession forms the
fifth count in the minority's brief, and
the following summing. up is made:
The president of the company states
that the documents relating to the con-
cession were submitted to Gen. Wood
and approved by him in all their parts.
They included the grant of a monopoly
for ten years. The claim that the
gambling was an adjunct. rather than
a part of the game, is disproved by the
president of the TAI Alai. Gen. Wood
did not furnish full information for the
action of the War Department. Wallis
Chairman with Tiffany & Co., of New
York. testiies that about the 10th or
the 18th OF that month. an order was
cabled to Tiffany by Mr.. Zarasqueta
for a. silver service. valued at about