The Washington times., 1910-03-09
CLASH EXPECTED
IN ARMY CIRCLES
Is Inevitable Between Wood
and Ainsworth, Officers
Declare.

The keenest interest is being mani
tested by army officers of all ranks In
what they consider the Inevitable clash
between Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood and
Maj. Gen. Fred Cravton AinswOrth,
when the former becomes chief OF STAFF
OF the army to succeed Gen. Franklin
Bell. on April 10, next.
General AinswoIth is adjutant general
Of the army. and his influence has been
great In the office Of the chief of staff
Tor several years past He IS considered
the best politician in the army, with one
single exception. That exception is
Mai. Gen. Leonard Wood
Only one man who entered the service
as a medical officer has Travelled further
than Ainsworth. That man is Wood
Heretofore. Ainsworth has ranked all
the chiefs Of staff with whom he has
served. But Wood ranks Ainsworth by
about eight months.
Watching Strike.
At present General Wood is at Gov
ernors Island, New York, in comman
of the Department Of the East. He is
busy keeping one eye on the Phnadel-
phia strike situation and the other on
will come TO Washington, receive words
Of welcome from Ainsworth and other
officers on d-ty at the War Department
Then he will 60 TO work.
The race between Wood and Aims
worth has long been watched with in
terest by army officers. Those Of the
line have never been ovcrenthusiastic
at the way the two surgeons rose in
rank.
Ainsworth is a native of Woodstock.
VI. lie graduated from the medical
school Of the University Of New York IN
1874, and Immediately entered the army
as an assistant surgeon. In 1892 he was
made colonel and chief Of the record
and pension office of the War Depart
ment He was made a brigadier gen
erai In 1893. and I'm 1904 was made a
major general and military secretary Of
the army.
Source Of Strength.
His greatest source of strength has
been his card index system. Rumor has
II that he Is d better card indexcr than
Postmaster General Frank II. Hitch
cock, but there IS something to be said
on both sides. and Hitchcock has sup
poTters who viii naCN him TO the limit
even against AHswOrth. AiuswoTtu
built up q system OF l10H00o0 record
cards, by The use of which he could
man who ever served m the American
army from the days uf Bunker Hin 90
the days OF Kettle iIIl, and later.
When a Senator or Representative
receives n request from some woman I'm
h's District for the record of an ancestor
q. hers ir the revolutionary war upon
which -, u"pcnds To get into the
Daughte.s Of the American Revolution
the legislator telephones AinswOrth
and Ai0Sw0Tth sends him the record
in an hour IF member or Congress
wants an officer transferred from Alas
ks 10 civilization. AinswOrth sees that
IL IS done promptly.
As a result he has powerful back
ing Congress. For year there has been
friction between the chief Of the gen
ersl staff and the adiutant general.
hiusworth has won out nearly every
sine.
Woods Record.
Wood is also New EngIandcr. He
was born I'm Wirchcster. y H. lie
graduated from the Harvard Medical
School in 1854 and, like AiusvortH. i'm
n-ediatelv entered the army Ills ex-
eCutive ability was soon recognized and
he moved forward rapidly. His progress
was greatly accelerated hy hte friend