Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-26
z GENERALS LONG RIVALS
WHOLE NATION is WATCHING
WOOD AND PERSHING BOOMS
Friends, However. DO Not Credit
Itcport That Rivalry Has Iscen
other Than Professional
ny j. ERIcDERICK ESs.u1-

ny j. FREDERICK I:SSAItY.
7 WASHINGToN. Jan. 25.--Thc rivn,
cand;dacics OF General John !. Perish
! ing and Major-Gcncrai Leonard Wood
| for the Republican presidential MONT
nation have been made tho occasion
! for much comment regarding the pro-
/ frsSional rivalry of these two soldiers
during the years when they have been
! lc;uiinE figures In the American army
Certain partisans or these officers
hay. made 1t appear that this compc-
tition for military honors has cx-
tended over n period OF almost twenty
years. and that first one and then the
other was given prcfcrmcnt. usually at
the expense OF the other. all OF which
political ambitions OF the two men for
the highest OF civil offices.
co mGsardins certain phases OF this
THIS is true OF their respective mill
tary careers since the Mexican dill
cmiiiGS resulted IN the dispatch Of Cen
suit Of Villa nearly four Years ago
! There seems 10 lie no doubt that Cen
c.r;l Wood wished for the command Of
the American cNpeditionary lorco ut
that time. Certainly his friends made
an effort 10 have him placed In com
mand. but the President favored porsh
ms, ana Wood remained in tho back
ground.
Rivalry Over t:uropcmp Comment.
Also there it no question regarding
n" rivalry over the command OF the
american 'Nl'NlilpHtrN forces he
sent I" France. Wood. as the ranking;
maj"r-Gcucral, ana as tho best known
American soldier in the War Offices OF
Great Britain. France and Italy was
strongly urged for this coveted :ssipn
mcnt. But again General PcrsIiinE was
favored hy the President. and the latter
was ordered TO assume the comma ndcr-
SHIP CHEF OF the cXpcd!t!onary army.
More recently still "a situation arose
about which opinion stu seems TO diff
fer. This concerns the cancellation OF
~ tn,
accompany ana 20 command his d.
,ts,on in Franc, This cancellation
embark NTH his men, and IL created :,
nation wide sensation at tho time. An.
other general officer was placed in
command, ana wood was sent back to
train n second division The canc.IIa-
tion order WAS issued by the Secretary
OF War.
whole Tla,nc ON Baker.
General Wood's friends at the tiruc
the whole blaine for This surprising
action sluar"iy upou President Wilson
ana Secretary iinhcr. They felt that
an effort was being made TO prevent
IL" distinguished officer from earning
honors in tho field. realizing that If he
returned 10 America n great military
political fNctor
Tho other version is that General
wood Was actually prevented from
comma ndln;s his division in Euroon Nv
General rcrshiue himself: that Pcrsl,-
ING vetoed three major generals at the
sam" time Generals Barry. Wood and
FRANKLIN Hcil.--aUi that the War De-
paTtincnt refused TO ovcrrulc the com
mandcr-in chief in tho matter OF the
personnel OF the general officers TO he
sent 10 France. Certain II is that
neither Of the three officers just men
divisions.
Thu, General Pcrshing should bar
seemed unthinkahi" TO the la,ter'-
lrIends These friends quito under
stood that there was competitions be-
mat II was Of the most friendly ana
iratcrnal l'nd. ana because OF services
rendered Pcrshlng by. Wood year, be-
lore. when the latter far outranked the
form"r. 1t seemed impossible that
Pcrsh!nS should or could give serious
a at to his friend and bcncfnctor
Upon This phase Of tho relationship
between these TWO DISTINGUISHED officers
an intimate friend Of both has thrown
como very Interesting light In a mem
orandum prepared for The Times Dis
ratch. which reads as follows:
o., rherc has not been during tho past
or otherwise" between General Wood
and General pershihg. There could
nor, IN fact: be any jealousy tprcv!ous
tween the senior major general OF the
army and the Junior brlgadicr The
facts arc that General Wood, far from
his consistent champion.
Wood Supported Ter>hing
When President roosevelt sent the
name OF the then Captain pcrshng to
the Senate FOR appoint ment as n
hriSad!er- general IL was due in no
small par, 70 General Woods earnest
advocacy of the appointment and con-
i!rmnt!on that disSipated the Senate
opposition and brought about Il favor
able conclusion The foundat ion OF
work as Governor Of Moro Province.
in tho Philippines. General Wood alone
was responsible for pcrsh!ng's appoint
The story. briefly. is this: Pcrshins
had been weakened in the minds OF
the Moro pconlc because they felt for
reasons that It ~ Unnecessary TO go
into that he was not in tho good graccs
OF his own government. and waa indeed
weak az home. the situation in Moro
iihinc Of inEurrcctinn was about ready
to break out General Luke Wright
was Secreiary OF War. General Wood
tary and pointed out TO him that IL
any other man than Pcrshing was APP
pointed to the Sovcrnorsh!p Of Moro
in that province would be discred.tcd
with the local people and All almost
impossible situation would have been
created
lie. therefore, urged tic secretary
to appoint Pershing as Governor Gen
cral OF the province. explaining 20 him
lHstI DS tniS means t'cFSnlnE would bC
completely rchaDiiitatcd in tho minds
Of the Moros. and the fact that tho
United States was behind pershing and
had confidence in him would be thor
entirely on General Woods rrcommen-
dat!on and his earnest request that
Pcrsh!ng was given this command
since thar time there has not been
the slightest friction between them.
They did not come OF course, III contact
during the Mexican trouble nor during
the European war. except on The coca
sion OF General Woods tour OF inspcc-
ton of Europe. during which he was
wounded. Their relations on this occa-
sion were entirely friendly.
THAT General Wood should feel that
he should have been sent TO Europe in
some capacity is only natural, hut he
lives in tn" present and the future,
rather than in the past, and If he pauscs
at all long enough 10 feel any resent
mcnt that he was not sent it is not
against pcrshlnE, but against the civil
ian authorities who prevented him from
s,,,