Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1920-04-15
SANTIAGO SAVED
BY LEONARD WOOD
HercuIean Labor Of Soldier Doc
tor in City Infested by Plaques.
Profiteering Stamped Out
BY JOHN c. HoLME,
Author of "The Life Of Leonard Wood"

When Leonard Wood, now Briga,
dier-GeneraI of Volunteers, assumed
charge of Santiago about one-third OF
the citys 10000 inhabitants were sick
and the whole population was threat
ened with starvation, for the citys
food supplies had been cut OFF during
the siege. The whole municipal gov
eminent had broken down Riding
into the city which he was to govern
SO wisely and successfully, Wood en-
cointered bodies of human beings and
animals along the highway and in the
streets. while overhead scared great
fiocks of buzzards, carbon eaters. The
atmosphere was poisoned with MAS
ma of fever and the stencil Of decaying
bodies.
Within the city, one Of the worst
plague spots on the face Of the earth,
malaria, smallpox, typhoid and yellow
fever ragged. The only sewers were
open cutters, damned here and there
by dead bodies and refuse. The streets
looked as If they had never been
cleaned. Never had Hercules himself
essayed worse cleaning job than that
which lay before the American soldier
doctor.
Cleaning the city and making it fit
place for human habitation were the
first tasks to be taken up. General
Wood recruited a large force OF idle
Cuban soldiers and set them to work
collecting the bodies OF men and ami
mails and cleaning the streets. The
natives, who went to work under COM
pulsion, continued willingly when they
found themselves paid regularly in
cash and rations.
Wood Killed Profiteerlng.
1t was impossible to bury the dead,
so Wood had the corpses and carcasses
carted 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 much
they were charging for beef.
"Ninety cents pound. senor"
"How much is 1t costing your" 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 a pound, your excel
lency, but we have lost much in the
war"
"And so have your customers" In
terrupted Wood. "Now, hereafter beef
will be Is 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 30
to 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 profiteer-
ing in Santiago In few minutes.
One Of Woods flrst 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 Immediately began abusing
General Wood, but the press remained
free. Wood always hated censorship.
Monuments OF His Labor.
1t 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
excellent water system piped from res
ervoirs in the hills-Leonard Woods
work. Santiago has a modern sewer
age system. Wood created this Inn
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 Cuba's SAM
tation code, now a 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
to 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 1898 the sky was
full Of buzzards. In the summer II
1899, when Wood had been military
governor for year, there was quite
number left, but In the summer Of 1869
when we sailed into the harbor the
Hrst mate discovered only one birA
lowering in the sky. he looked lone
some, and I'll bet hs was hungry"