Evening journal., 1915-08-27
WOOD REBUKED FOR
ROOSEVELT Speech
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tContinued From Page One.)
expected" this would be the end Of
the matter.
AT the White House, it was said,
the incident was thought to be closed
and no further development is ex-
pected there.
Colonel Roosevelt rallied to the
support Of his friend, General Wood.
who was reprimanded yesterday by
the War Department for permitting
the Colonel to make his Plattsburg
speech on Wednesday evening. at
lacking the Administration policy on
the European war crisis.
The reprimand came in the form
OF a letter from Secretary Garrison
TO General Wood, in-which Mr.. Gar
rison said of the Roosevelt speech:
1t is difficult to conceive Of any
thing which could have a more detri-
mental effect upon the real value of
this experiment (the Plattsburgh
camp than such an incident"
Mr.. Roosevelt's reply, issued as
soon as the Garrison letter was call
ed TO his attention, was as follows:
Nearly three weeks ago Il was an
nounced In the public press. the state
ment being carried prominently in
every big newspaper, that In addition
to President Wilson and Secretary
Garrison some scores of private citi-
zens had been asked to go to the
Plattsburgh camp. where it was ex-
peoted they would speak to the men.
Among the names mentioned, in adj
dition to my own, were those of ex-
President Taft, Mr.. Gompers and
John Mitchell, which / happened to
remember.
ut II, Of course, impossible that Sec
rotary Garrison can have been ignorant
that we were asked and if he desired
| General Wood TO notify rs in advance
what We were expected to say or leave
unsaid, IL was clearly his duty TO direct
the general accordingly. When the War
Department, after three weeks public
! notice, made no objection TO my coming
they estopped themselves from any right
/ TO oriticise General Wood because I was
there or because did not submit ny
speech in advance 10 the administra.
tion for approval.
II am, of course, solely responsible
for that speech, and until yesterday
General Wood had no more idea than
Secretary Garrison what I was going Il
say. In the speech not only did ! never
mention the President, but l never men.
toned the administration. I spoke pure
~ Of the nation, OF the people Of the
United States. | spoke on the assump.
ton that the men who pay their owr
expenses in order to 90 to this camp are
citizens deeply interested in the welfare
81 hat kA lrr4a hos
greatest value Of this camp lies not in
the months training to each Of the 1900
or 1000 college students and business
men, IN in the object lesson afforded
in teaching our people what this nation
should do for all her sons by teachinl
them in time of peace how to do theil
duty by the nation in time of war.
"If the administration had display
cd one-tenth the spirit and energy in
holding Germany and Mexico to ac-
count for the murder Of American
men. women and children that It is
now displaying In the endeavor 10
prevent our people from being taught
the need Of preparation to prevent the
repetition of such murders in the fu-
ture II would be rendering a service
to the people Of this country.
General Wood issued orders that
attendance upon my speech was not
required Of any man; that it was OPP
tional to come or not, orders which
at once established the fact that he
had no responsibility for the speech
and that attendance upon It was
purely optional. II was held outside
the line of tents and half the audi
ence was made up of men and women
from the surrounding country"