The Detroit times., 1914-07-20
WOTHERSPOONI is
REAL BRAINS OF
U. S. SOLDIERY
New Army Administrative Type
is Head of General staff of
Nations Army

WASHINGTON, July IT, William
Wallace Wotherspoon, major genera.
is al the head OF the general stan OK
the army The general stan rs the
flee organization OF the HAhtlhs
force IL directs the plan ot cam.
pa;En from headquarters
What sort OF a man is Wother-
spoon Was asked of a close asso-
ciate
He thinks" said Tie man Ques,
toned lie plans Tie IS au admin.
istrator.'
So far as one may Judge by a
El'rce az his official record that
seems % have been his line OF action
throughout his army NE AS COM
pared with other OF the higher OH
GERS OF tho army. he has lad little
service in me field II was on This
account that Senator Rristov OF kan
Isas, opposed HIS nomination 20 De
lmalor-gereral two years aeO ln re-
turn. it was urged by Wotherspoon's
friends that he had been Of great
service TO the army In his admins.
trative positions The soldier Nho
/ rides a horse and waves q sword rs
( not the only good soldier
The plan on which the general
l STAN OF today is organized may not
! have been Wotherspoon' Inception.
nut II was at least largely shaped by
him. When Root was secretary az
war the process OF reshaping began.
But the army Bureaucracy az wash
ington interfered. The general staff
was given full responsibility for an
matters pertaining 70 the lighting
business OF the army-but all its cor
dependence had 70 20 through the
| adjutant generals department. This
purely clerical department soon be
IGan 70 exercise a sort OF senatorial
veto, Plans OF which Il disapproved
were held Up and the heads OF the
Iarmy's active branch We're lnterferei
with. Wotherspoon took an active
part In the fight led BY Gen Leonard
Wood when he was chief OF stan "a
remove the general stan from the
muting influences OF the adiutantgen
erals Office
J Wotherspoon Is e living proof that
/ Secretary OF the Navy Daniels 4
right In his theory that the enlisted
man in the navy should be given q
Ichance at promotion When Wother
spoon was very young the need Tor
Immediate warlike action seized upon
/ him, At that time the prospect OF a
Itour around the world seemed attrac
tive So-afthough his family is one
lot influence In the District OF Colum
bia-he enlisted in the navy as a
\ barefoot and began 20 learn how "a
wear white duck breaches without
I chafing One day an officer noticed
him
WHY don't you try for promotion? -
asked the officer You are a brigh,
young man"
The officer had II just right Woth
erspoon was bright young man
too bright 10 try for promotion I'm 3
lseryice In which he had begun as AT
lenlisted man. He feared he might
have TO listen for years and years and
years to the allegation that be had
lcrawled aft through the hawse pipe
SO he arranged matters and obtained
an appointment 20 West Point. and
was graduated from that institution
lof lethal learning in 1873 In Novem
Ter. 1914. he will be retired hy the
Operation OF the age limit law
II IS assumed that HIS successor
Twill be Brig Gen. Hugh +. Scott tbf
Ipresent assistant chief OF sta n
WEereupon there will he another
yowl from those officers who holt
hrm to the theory that promotion
should be by reason Of age and lengtl
of service only. II Scott is made
chief Il VIII be necessary for him Il
hurdle several indignant heads.
Wotherspoon has been a member
Of the general STAFF from its creation
For time he was al the head Of tbt
war college, where officers are train
ed in plain and fancy strategy. and
served as administrator OF the CHS
toms in the Philippines under the
Icivil government, He Is regarded q,
a high authority upon infantry tao
tics, and as man Of high intellect
ual quality and great force. In spite
o. the fact that this retirement 20,
Iage Will soon be forced. he IS IN tbe
most vigorous and blooming health
Herbert Corey, in Kansas City
/ Star