Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-06-10
whoa nIneo Pioneering.

1t was impossible to bury the deaA
earted beyond the city limits, soaked in
kerosene and burned. The streets were
cleaned and kept clean. Within day
Or two American soldiers found large
stores Of food boarded by dealers who
now demanded exorbitant prices, which
the population were unable to pay.
Wood sent for the principal butchers
Of Santiago and asked them how muchr
they were charging for beef.
"Einety cents pound, senior"
How much is 1t costing you" asked
Wood \
Meat Is very dear, your excellency."
II asked you how much 1t was cost
ing you" The military governor was
stern.
Fifteen cents pound, your excel
lency, but we have lost much in the
war"
"And so have your customers" in
tsrrupted Wood. Nov, hereafter beef
swill be rs cents pound retail, and the
man who tries to force the people Of
Santiago to pay more while the whole
sale price remains at Is cents will 60
10 JAIL"
Wood was not quite so gentle as our
Food Administration during the late
war; but, On the other hand, he was
far more effective. He killed proflteer-
ing in Santiago in few minutes.
One Of Woods first acts was to ap-
point a city council, which had full
charge Of the affairs Of the town under
his general supervision. Having clean
ed the city, he issued an order estab-
fishing the freedom Of speech and Of
assembly. For the first time in Cuban
history the press was unmuzzled. San
tiago was full Of radicals, and the rad
ical press imm ediately began abusing
General Wood, but the press remained
free. Wood always hated censorship. .,
Monuments Of His Labor. .
It Is now more than twenty years
since Leonard Wood left Santiago de
Cuba, yet you can visit that city today
and view everywhere the monuments Of
his labor. You stroll along the beauti-
full marine boulevard 1t Is the work
Of Leonard Wood. The city has an
ervoirs in the hills-Leonard Woods
work Santiago has q modern sewer
age system. Wood created this i'm
provement. You can take ride into
the country over excellent roads.
Wood built these highways. Santiago
is clean and sanitary. Leonard Wood,
NJ. D., personally drew up Cubas sani.
tation code, now q part Of the Cuban
Constitution.
No; he did not do these things all
alone, but he showed himself, although
only thirty-seven years old, master
organizer and executive. He never
used his military power except in
emergencies He used arbitrary power
10 enforce health regulations. You
cannot argue with diseases and death.
The death rate in Santiago was 200
per day when he became military gov
ernor. In four months the death rate
dropped to ten per day and Santiago
was the cleanest city In the western
hemisphere. A New England sea cap
tain in the transport service told Of
the changes wrought by Wood in this
way:
"When we made our first trip into
Santiago harbor in 1893 the sky was
full Of buzZards. In the summer of
1890, when Wood had been military
governor for year, there was quite a
number left, but in the summer of 1900
when we sailed into the harbor the
first mate discovered only one biz
lowering in the sky. He looked 10
some, and I'll bet he was hungry"
Wood had destroyed the buzza
business. Santiago was healthy.
Ito be continued)