Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-06
THERE is general agreement
when the subject is heinP con-

when the subject is being con-
sidered that Gen. Leonard
Wood is best qualified of all the men
suggested for the next President of
the United States. He has the abil-
ity, the character. the temperament,
and the experience which the chief
executive of our country will re-
quire during the four years follow
ing the 4th of March, 1921. The
only objection raised to him, and
that is not usually put forward in
an unfriendly way, is that he is a
military man." and the people
would not want a military man for
President.
Let us see about that. General
Wood cannot be called a sprofes-
sional soldier. He graduated from
Harvard, and as a young physician,
volunteered in the medical service.
He is not the kind of a man who
just'does what is barely required in
order to come up to the require
ments of a position he holds. When
his regiment was engaged in the
Indian warfare out West the medi-
cal officer, Leonard Wood, dis
tinguished himself by personal
bravery and efficient service in TAX
ing care of his wounded men. He
also learned the duties of a line of
ficer. When Theodore Roosevelt
was given authority to organize a
regiment of Rough Riders in the
Spanish-American War, he knew his
own lack of experience, and asked
the courageous and competent young
medical officer to be made colonel
of the regiment. l have always
thought that while Colonel Roose-
Welt very properly received much
glory in that war, it was doubtless
Colonel Woods ability that made
the incongruous collection of cow
boys and football players into a
fighting force that thrilled the
country.
When the Spanish-American War
was ended. President Mckinley put
Wood in charge of the cleaning up
of the island of Cuba, and the con-
Wood and Funston, two volunteer
soldiers, neither of them graduates
of West Point, were especially hon
ored by President Mckinley, and
can say nothing more in the shape
of praise. Mckinley, and then
Roosevelt, promoted Wood and
Funston over the heads of profess
sional army officers and every time
those two men made good.
For twenty years General Woods
experience has been in an executive
capacity When he finished his
work regenerating Cuba, he was
sent to the Philippines, where he did
similar service. This did not require
military" ability, but civil executive
strength. When The United States
Wood was sent to Camp Funston,
and his ability made those fine
young men from Kansas and Mis-
souri,, who constituted the seth di-
vision, the greatest of all national
army divisions. The administration
did not care for Wood to >go to
France, but kept him on the job of
training men. And when the armis-
tice came he had another division
ready to go across the seas.
The military record of General
Wood is such as to show that he is
a man of real leadership and power
to govern men and communities.
Could there be better training for
a President of the United States?
1t is not only this experience
which he has had, but the tempera-
ment and character which he has
always shown which point to him as
the best fitted man. He is absolutely
on the square. When he was as
signed to command that portion of
the army which went to Gary, the
strikers, the employers and the pub
lie knew that he would not play
favorites. His orders were to pre-
serve peace and law. He did so
without the firing of gun, or the
injury to an individual. If he were
President of the United States, and
an Industrial dispute threatened,
there would be no disposition on the
part of either side to use violence
and destroy property, or to take life.
They would know that such course
would lead to disaster. Another man
in the Presidents chair might per-
haps do as well. But the other man
would not have the advance reputa-
ton, and might be compelled to
show his decision. Everybody
knows what Wood would do, and
there would be no tests made to sat
isfy curiosity.
The suggestion made that because
man has worn the uniform of his
country, he will not be the popular
candidate, and that is the only ar
gument against Wood, is not borne
out by history or by human nature.
If it were a fact that our country's
uniform disqualifies a man from
public office. the United States of