Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-01
WOOD FOR NEW YORK
Report That He Will Succeed
Gen. Frederick D. Grant.
RECENT SPEECH THE CAUSE
President Said to Be Displeased Be-
cause of Grants Remarks.
NO SURPRISE TO THE ARMY
Roosevelt's Well-Known Affection for
Gen. Wood a Factor in
the Change.

Leonard Wood. U. S. A. at present in COM
| mand of the division of the Philippines. re-
turns to the United States a few months
hence he will be sent to New York to re-
place Mai. Gen. Frederick d. Grant as the
commander of the Department of the East.
with headquarters on Governors Island. By
| that time the Department of the East will
| have taken rank as the premier assignment
within the gift of the War Department.
| That Gen. Wood is the officer who, accord
ing to the best information. will get the
| plum Is taken by many as another proof
of the strong friendship that the President
has always entertained for him.
1t is said that Gen. Grants speech de-
| livered recently before Meade Post g. A.
| r.. at Philadelphia, a part of which was at
| first interpreted as a criticism of the Pres
| ident, has nothing to do with the proposed
assignment of Gen. Wood to the Governors
| Island headquarters. Gen. Grants explain
alton Of that incident. it is said, satisfied
| both the President and Secretary Taft, and
| that incident was closed long ago.
| Gen. Grant, according to the present plan.
| will remain in command Of the department
until the arrival of Gen. Wood. At present
| he is busy with his duties at the James
| town exposition. where he will have COM
mand of the troops which will participate
| in the celebration of the tercentenary of
| the old Virginia settlement
/ Surprise After Koehler Affair.
! While the coming of Gen. Wood is no
surprise to those who are aware of the
| strong attachment existing between the
President and the general. there are many
! officers who did not think that the War
Departments intentions would get out so
| soon after the koehler affair. In that case
Capt. Koehler, of the most brilliant
| Of the younger officers of the army was
court-martialed by order of Gen. Wood for
| conduct to the~prejudice of good order and
| discipline in preferring and forwarding to
| the military secretary of the Department
| of Mindanao captious and unnecessary
| charges and specifications against his COM
| harding officer, which, in this instance,
was Major Scott, the commander of the
military post of Jolo. -..... "a, ....
The court-martial convened and after
hearing the evidene found Capt. Koehler
guilty. as charged, and sentenced him to be
reprmanded by the reviewing authority.
From this verdict Capt. Koehler appealed.
contending that Gen. Wood, the department
commander. was the accuser or prosecutor
and that the reprmand he imposed as
sentence was harsh and excessive. In that
appeal of the memorable docu-
| ments in the army archives. Capt. Koehleri
said that "the severity. even the harshness
of the reprimand administered shows predu-
ice, bias, unfairness and a preconcaived
conviction that l was guilty as previously
charged" Further on, Capt Koehler de
clared that II was harassed and handi-
capped by the feeling that / was helpless
and at the mercy of a superior who would
make use of every unfair advantage to
harm me and to protect his own personal
friend Major Scott
Was Censured by Implication.
In reprimanding Capt. Koehler Gen. Wood
| had declared that Capt. Koehler had been
\ guilty of conduct which indicated that he
! was seriously wanting in those close
clear-cut and well-defined conceptions of a
soldiers duty which should be found in
every officer of the army; that his concep-
tons of the standards of conduct and up
rightness they exist in the. army were
distorted to degree not found in the just
and fair-minded." Gen. Wood also advised
Capt. Koehler to cultivate those habits of
true soldierly subordnation, which he said
the evidence in the case showed him to lack
Capt. koehlers appeal was forwarded to
the War Department by Gen. Wood, and
Secretary Taft directed Gen. Wood to file
charges against Koehler and to bring him
to trial before a eourt-martial to be appoint
ed by President Roosevelt. This was DONE
and Capt Koehler was brought to trial on
three charges. all of them referring directly
to the language of his appeal from Gen.
Wood reprimand. The court martial ap-
pointed by the President met, heard the
evidence and rendered a verdict of not
guilty.
The findings of the court-martial came
back to Washington for review by Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Taft. Sec
rotary Taft in his review, which was sent
to the President declared that the evidence
showed that Gen. Wood was neither unfair
nor prejudiced, and that the language of
the reprmand which caused all the trouble
was sufficiently within the evidence. The
Secretary added that he was, convinced
that the finding of the second court could
not be supported by the evidence, and the
President was informed that If he approved
the findings it would be his duty, as COM
mander-in-chief of the army. to order Gen.
Wood before a court-martial for pervert-
ing his power as department commander
to accomplish an unjust and unfair purpose
against his subordinate officer.
you cannot, in justice to Gen. Wood"
added Secretary Taft. find any evidence
in the record to sustain the bringing of
such proceedings the finding of the court
against him.
President Supported Him.
The President could not change a YER
dict of acquitta to of guilty SO he dis
approved the sentence with this significant
Endorsement:
THE proceedings, finding and acquittal
In the case of Capt. Lewis NJ. Koehler, 4th
Cavalry. L. s. A.. disapproved. 1 en-
tirely concur in all that the Secretary of
War says of Capt Koehler and Of Gen.
Wood and of the poor showing made by the
court which last passed on the case"
The proposal now to give Gen. Wood what
is destined. with the adjustment of the
divisional groupings Of the army, to be the
highest assignment next to that Of chief
of staff Is taken by those who are familiar
with recent history as one of the Presidents
answers to the criticisms of his friend Gen.
Wood in the Koehler case.
Where Gen. Grant will go when Gen.
Wood takes his place, as now seems GER
tain. is not known, He NAV be assigned