The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-14
Series of Sensations

| Washington. June 13.-Startling charges of an intrigue against Maj. Gen. Leonard l Wood. chief of staff of the army begun by the late Senator Marcus A. Hanna. were only part of a series of sensations which attended the adoption by the House today oi the army appropriation bill con- ference fpnef
 Alusic- Nn3 Gen Charles F. Hum- phrey as tho t for the powder trust" and to Senator DuPons former connec- ton with the powder business. furnished other incidents.
 Nevertheless the House adopted the re- port which had been approved by its con ferees and accepted by the Senate and if President Taft signs the bill. as fl is said he will. General Wood will be removed from his office on March 4 19l3 and the retention or disposal of many army posts which the war department has character ized as useless will be left to committee. Representative Prince began the fight against tho report by eharaeterzing 1t as "an insult to the army, the House and the oountry," and in the debate which followed Representative Cooper brought in the name of Senator Hanna "In all my public career" MT Coop 1 CT said, "T know of no officer who has | been so indignantly misrepresented as | General Wood I was told on the very best authority that when General Wood was in charge of affairs in Cuba | a certain senator asked him what he proposed to do about Major Rathbone. director of posts of Cuba. then involved In the postal frauds
 Senator responded Wood. T pro- pose to prosecute him
 "'Do that. Wood replied the sem ator, and I will to 1t that you never rise higher than captain in the | service.
 Since that time" continued MT. | Cooper, that senator and his power ful friends have bounded him"
 Hanna Involved | The Interchange which followed | brought in the name of Senator Hanna. Representative Martin of Colorado made reference to Brigadier General 1 Piershing and his rapid rise in the | army. The general Is a son-in-law of Senator Warren of Wyoming chairman of the Senate appropriations commit tee. former chairman of the Senate mil itary affairs committee and one of tho conferees on the bill.
 Men In the army who are sons-in- law of legislators and who have been allowed to jump FOO numbers over the heads of other officers to brigadier EencraISHlp, shouted MT hdrtln, | would have a better chance of pro- motion if a man of General Woods type were disqualified" He referred to General Wood as the best man in tho | American army today" l ln Inc names of the committee of | retfredA officers which would dispose of 1 the posts was that of General Humph- rey and ,1r. Martin demanded to know l If the general had advised the House Iconferees. Chairman Hay of the mili- tary affairs committee admitted it was so.
 | Well" retorted Representative Mar | tin, General Humphrey, as you well know, is the agent for the powder | trust"
 Minority Leader Mann agreed with | Mir Martins view regarding General Humphrey.
 | When the supporters of the bill got | their innings Chairman Hay declared General Woods removal was for the good of the army and that the general had proved himself "an incompetent chief of staff"
 The report carrying all the so-called anti administration amendments was finally accepted. l21 to 92. IL now goes to the President. War department of ficials maintain it would disrupt the general staff and overturn the army organization. There are hints that it's constltutionaltiy may be tested If 1t be-
 comes law. Many members of both houses hold that the disputed amend
 ments are not proper in an appropria-
 tion bill