The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-06-13
THE CASE OF GENERAL WOOD.


Even the New York World, thick and
thin supporter Of the administration
as 1t Is. editorially declares that 'the
news that General Leonard Wood is
to be kept In this country while the
division whose training he is complet- |
ing will go abroad under his second In
command will give every fair-minded
man a bad taste In the mouth"
General Wood is the ranking major
general in the army. He has distin-
guished military career, and he ar
IDENTIFY longs for service in France. But
he committed the objectionable Of
1ense of preaching preparedness when
Secretary Baker and others high in
authority were preaching unprepared-
ness and pacifism.
In the end the administration has
had to tread the paths which General
Wood pointed out with far-seeing vi
sion two and even three years ago, and
for that service there Is apparently no
forgiving at Washington.
Fifteen months before the United
States entered the war, General Wood,
summoned before the senate commit
tee on military affairs, said:
This country has to call at least
1000, 900 men Ii 1t has a war, and
1t is perfect folly to dicker with
systems which give us anything
else.
1t was an unfortunate remark for
General Wood, but fortunate for the
people Of the United States. Unfor-
tunate for General Wood, because the
administration was offended at his
blunt branding of Its dickering make
shifts, but fortunate for the United
States because 1t set Thoughtful peo-
pie everywhere to thinking about the
facts.
On the same day General Wood also
urged adoption Of compulsory service,
the manufacture of artillery on a
large scale, that the regiments be kept
at war strength and that the govern
ment enter generally upon vigorous
preparedness.
''We are very short Of field ar
tillery and field artillery ammuni
ton, alarmingly short Of BOTH" he
told congress-. land If we should
Suddenly become involved in war
we should he absolutely without
reasonable supply Of artillery guns
or ammunition"
He declared that pending prepared
ness bills, including the administra
tion measure. would be a ''makeshift
and failure" and makeshift and q
failure they proved to be.
He said that I'VE can not afford tc
60 on the volunteer system any long
err" and the administration rejected
his counsel then. but had to come to II
later on.
When we did enter the war Genera
Wood. seeing the growing magnitud,
Of the conflict. urged the raising of al
army of 100000 men, but it took tn,
administration nearly year to see tn,
point.
General Wood Is frank and suffers
for that frankness. But Secretar,
Baker shows his own lack of frank
ness In his small effort to shift upor
General Pershing the responsibility
for the continued retention of Genera
Wood In the United States The sub
terfuge nature Of that plea is apparent
when IL Is remembered that Genera
Wood was side-tracked here at HON,
before General Pershing went abroad
Mr.. Bakers conduct now quite matche.
his former meaness in blaming Gen
eral Wood. when that officer was tenn
porarily in Europe. for mistakes tn,
war department had made in locatins
some of the environments.
The New York World is right Thi,
shabby treatment of General Wood b,
the war department will leave bat
taste IN the mouth Of every fair
ded-man.-Spokesman Review.