The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-05-22
GENERAL WOTHERSPO0N THE Won
M0lTKE OF THE AMERICAN ARMY
New Chief Of Staff Of United States Land Forces Has Long Been
at Head Of the War College, Where Problems of Pos
sbie Conflicts Are Worked Gu: in All Their
Possible Details in Advance.

Observation-Disclosures Bismarck gave
the word Won Moltke drew from a
single pigeonhole the plans for the in
vasion Of France, gave an order and
che machinery he had perfected was
set in motion. The FrancO-Prusslan
war was won not in the fighting that
followed, but in the laborious work
that had perfected the plans and tho
machinery"
So says tradition. Modern armies
have since 1870 based their activities
on that idea.
Won Moltke, with his genius. had
looked far into the future. He had an
ticipated and prepared for every move
on the military chessboard that could
be made. Irresistibly the Prussian
troops moved on to Paris. Napoleon's
empire fell and Alsace-Lorraine be-
came the property Of the Germans. IN
all it's details the plan Of Won Moltke
was carried out.
For nine years Major Gen. William
w. Wotherspoon. who became chief
OF staff OF the army April %, has been
doing for the United States the work
that Won Moltke did for Prussia.
The war college in Washington. as
1t exists today, is largely his creation.
He has been at its head for the great
er part of the nine years mentioned.
Its larger undertakings he has organ
tied. When an army officer speaks OF
the war college the name OF Wother-
spoon instantly pops into his head.
Only a mind that is a master of de-
tail, that has the infinite capacity for
taking pains. could have perfected the
organization that Is now always at
work. Such a mind Is that possessed
by General Wotherspoon.
A slim, straight. active figure, he
looks no older than o first lieutenant
OF the army in the days before the
Spanish-American war. when promo
ton was slow.
And yet the record says that No
vember Is next he will be sixty-four
years old, and then he will have to 60
to the retired list.
In the meantime he has gone from
the war college to the most respon-
sible post in the army, and there Is
working out his broad plans for the
betterment Of the service-plans that
r wholly in harmony with those OF
his predecessor. Major Gen. Leonard
Wood.
More than forty years has General
Wotherspoon been an officer In the
army. During that time he has won
two reputations-one as a %singularly
efficient commander in the field, an
other az q profound student and teach
er OF military subjects.
Few officers. In fact, have had a.
much service with troops as he; none
has made a more brilliant record in
stan work.
Almost hopelessly blocked from ad-
vancement in the days before the
Spanish-American war. by reason OF
few vacancies. General Wotherspoon
spent more than nineteen years as q
lieutenant. almost all the time serving
1t frontier posts. This was followed
by eight years as a captain before he
reached field rank. He knows the line
Of the army al we'll az the stan.
These we're the reasons that, COM
bined with the knowledge of his quail
ications, stilled possible jealousies
when, in 1907. he was jumped over the
heads Of many other lieutenant colon
els and over the heads OF all OF the
colonies and made q brigadier general.
~Wotherspoon had It coming to him."
was the army's comment.
General W~otherspoon. like General
WOOD. nis predecessor. holds that the
regular army very well may be reeard-
ed - = training school for military re.
servists. A reserve. he has pointed
out. II ever the nation goes 10 war.
gill be needed.
lust how desperately It will be