The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-05-29
GENERAL WOTHERSPOON THE VON
MOLTKE 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
sbe Conflicts Are Worked Out in All Their
Possible Details in Advance.

Washington.-"When Bismarck gave
the word Won Moltke drew from a
single pigeonhole the plans for the in
vasion of France, gave an order and
the machinery he had perfected was
set in motion. The Franco-Prussian
war was won not in the fighting that
| followed, but in the laborious work
that had perfected the plans and the
| 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
It 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
ized. 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 a first lieutenant
of the army in the days before the
Spanish-American war, when promo
tion was slow.
And yet the record says that No
vember 16 next he will be sixty-four |
years old and then he will have to go
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
Of the service-plans that
are 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 as a profound student and teach
er of military subjects.
Few officers, in fact, have had as
much service with troops as he; none
has made a more brilliant record in
Jtaff work.
Almost hopeleesly blocked from ad-
in the days before the
Spanish-American war, by reason OF
ew vacancies, General Wotherspoon
ipent more than nineteen years as a
lieutenant, almost all the time serving
It frontier posts. This was followed
" eight years as captain before he
cached field rank. He knows the line
# the army as we'll as the staff.
These we're the reasons that, com
lined with the knowledge of his quail
ications, stilled possible jealousies
when, In 1907, he was jumped over the '
leads of many other lieutenant colon
is and over the heads of all of the
olonels and made brigadier general.
Wotherspoon had it coming to him." :
vas the army's comment.
General Wotherspoon, like General
Wood, his predecessor, holds that the
egular army very well may be regard
d as training school for military re- S
ervists. A reserve, he has pointed 9
ut, if ever the nation goes to war v
ill be needed. 4
Just how desperately it will be s