The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1920-01-29

pOverished to the point of starva.
tion and had been dying by thousands
for the lack Of the things which Wood
quickly provided.
Then there came the rehabilitation
of the municipalities, the establish.
ment Of schools, the opening of roads.
the organizing OF government in the
provinces, the readjustment of taxa
tion and OF the courts, and the work
Of providing for the thousands of chill.
dren made orphans by war or famine.
There was more business and more
varieties Of II than 1t has been the lot
of many men ever to have placed up
on their shoulders.
Not long after this there came the
greater opportunities In Havana. II
was necessary to re-write the election
laws TO make them fit the habits of the
people. Production had to be sflmu
lated, for agriculture was the main
source of the islands wealth. Here
again the same measures were follow
ed and as result there were estab.
lished law and order, protection of
life and property, and liberty with.
In the law.
These were the foundation stones
Wood knew that the government must
be run by the Cubans, and so 80 per
cent Of the officials engaged In the
great work Of reconstruction were
selected from the people of the island.
The Cubans were taught government
while the government was being built
and thus they We're able to RIM IL when
the rule of the island was turned over
to It's inhabitants.
When II became necessary TO reor.
ganize the Cuban railroads Wood Sc.
cured the services Of Sir William V0n
Horne, president of the Canadian Pa.
cific, and of Granville NJ. Dodge, build.
er of the Union Pacific.
The same general policy was fol.
lowed in dealing with the problem Of
caring for the tens Of thousands Of
orphans that had been left by the war
Homer Folks, commissioner of chart
ties Of the state of New York, was
called to Cuba by Wood to aid in the
establishment of system for placing
and permanently caring for these lit.
tie desolates. Chief Justice White
of the Supreme court of the United
States. at that time an associate JUS
tice, was consulted as to the method TO
be pursued in recognizing the courts.
Leonard Wood was In Cuba about
four years. He left there q reorgan.
lied and sound banking system, q
good railroad system, no debts, nearly
S2,0O0,O00 unlncumbered money In the !
treasury, sugar crop Of nearly 1,000,- |
600 tons, sound municipal laws, fine
public works, q firm agricultural
foundation and an absolute respect
among the people for life and prop
erty. The school system which Wood |
established was founded on the laws
Of Massachusetts and Ohio. Roads |
were built which made communication
speedy, The hospitals erected under his |
supervision were Of the highest type. |
Lord Cromer said he wished this |
American officer was available to fol. |
low him in his reconstruction work |
in Egypt. Elihu Root said this work |
never was paralleled In colonial pos.
sessions anywhere. Theodore Roose.
welt said that Leonard Wood "has
rendered services to Cubn Of a kind |
which, If performed three thousand |
years ago, would, have made him a
hero mixed up with the sun god in va
rious ways"
After the Cuban experience Wood |
was for five years in the Philippines
confronted with The difficult labor of |
establishing civil government, this
time among A MQhRmniedan people,