Evening star., 1920-02-22
Who's Who for President

meht. ne naQ 1nnuentlal political
friends, and they brought charges
against Wood when his nomination
was submitted. Wood was charged
with consorting with a former con-
vict in Santiago and obtaining him
employment as newspaper man to
blacken the character of officers of
the Army; with being guilty of ex-
travagance. and of accepting. while
governor general, presents from a
gambling house in Havana. 1t
was charged that he did not de-
serve his medal of honor. that he
had never been under fire. All of
these charges were laid before the
Senate military affairs committee.
But his nomination as major gem
eral was favorably reported by the
committee and he was confirmed by
the Senate. though Senator Mark
Hanna submitted a minority report
in which Wood was severely criti-
cised.
About sseven years ago Gen.
Wood started a campaign for mill
tary preparedness and military
training of the youth of the coun-
try. He spoke on the subject in
many places throughout the coun-
try. Gen. Wood originated the
"Plattsburg idea" under which
.H..eoiS .ioiHiu6T camps were eS
tablished to train civilians. 1t was
generally adopted when the war was
declared with Germany to train OIL
GERS for the new army.
Immediately after this country
went into the war Gen. Wood
wrote to the chief OF staff and
the adjutant general of the Army.
requesting assignment for mill
tary service abroad. But, though
he established and conducted
training camps in Georgia. and
for overseas work at Camp Fun
ston. Kan. he never was allowed
to go abroad to command troops.
Almost at the moment when he
was to embark on the Army
transports with the S9th Division
he received orders transferring
him to other service. Wood went
to Washington and saw the Sec
retary Of War and the President.
But the orders were not changed
allowing him to go abroad. How
ever. an order sending him to Cali
fornia was rescinded and he was
sent back to Camp Funston to be-
gin the training of another di-
about ready for overseas work
when the armistice was signed. 1t
is reported in well informed quar-
ters that the War Department was
ready again to take the COM
mand Of an overseas division from
Wood and to keep him in this
country. This treatment of Gen.
Wood created an uproar. Senator
Hiram Johnson of California de-
nounced the administration in
vitriolic fashion on the floor of the
Senate. But Wood himself has
never said a word about the mat
ter.
In spite of the fact that he was
not given command of troops
abroad during the war, Gen. Wood
is the only American officer Of his
rank who was wounded while on
the other side. While he was on
a brief detail abroad to see how
the war was being conducted, he
and some other officers were
watching the firing Of a French
trench mortar. 1t exploded and
Gen. Wood was wounded in both
arms. Several Of the officers
standing beside him were killed.
4 y + +
There is plenty Of testimony to
the fact that Gen. Wood is easy of
IL,
he is not a ,militarist. He takes a
men under his command. Once
while he was at Camp Funston. he
was riding In his car and noticed q
soldier accompanied by a young
woman coming in the opposite di.
rection. The soldier bent over ap-
parently to tie his shoestring. Gen.
Wood ordered his driver to stop the
car and called the soldier to him
Didn't you recognize my carr
he asked smiling. The soldier said
he did.
Then why didn't you salute?'
asked the general. and when the
soldier hemmed and hawed. he con-
tinued: II know how you felt.
You were embarrassed because you
were with that young lady and
thought you would get out Of sa-
luting. You were taking the wrong
attitude. What you should have
done was to have said to the young
lady: There comes the old man.
Watch me make him take my sa-
Lutte You know it is your duty to
salute your superior officer. but it
is just as much my duty to salute
you"
1t is as the ''old man" that Wood
has been known to many thousands
Of troops who have served under
him. and it is possible to find any
number Of Regular Army officers
today who will gladly testify that
Gen. Wood. though he may have
started as q doctor in the Army, is
today a real soldier Of the line.
While Gen. Wood was a young
officer in the Medical Corps, he
married Miss Louise A. Condit
Smith. a niece Of Justice Field Of
the Supreme Court Of the United
States. They have two sons. They
are Leonard, jr.. and Osborne c.
Wood. Both served in the war and
one is now a lieutenant in the
Army. while the other is in busi-
ness in Cuba.
Copyright, 1890, by The waskiAgton Star.
Next sunaay-Herbert Hesver.