The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1920-01-24
WOOD HAS VARIED
CIVIL EXPERIENCES
Concluded from First Page.)


der tribulationS which arose from
the fact that the people were i'm
poverished to the point of starva-
ton 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 reimbursement of taxa
ton 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 it than it has been the lot
of many men ever to have placed up
on their shoulders.
Not lorg after this there came the
greater opportunities in Havana. It
was necessary to re-write the election
laws to make them fit the habits of the
people. Production had to be stimuli
lated, for agriculture was the main
source of the islands wealth. Here
again the same measures were follow
ed and as a 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 III by the Cubans. and so 90 per
cent of the officials engaged in the
great work of reconstruction were
selected from the people of the island.
The Cubans We're taught government
while the government was being built
and thus they were able to run it when
the rule of the island was turned over
TO its inhabitants.
When it became necessary to reor-
ganize the Cuban railroads Wood Sc
cured the services of Sir William Van
Horne, president of the Canadian Pa
ciic, 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 chari-
ties of the state of New York, was
called to Cuba by Wood to aid in the
establishment of a 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
ttce, was consulted as to the method to
be pursued in recognizing the courts.
Leonard Wood was in Cuba about
four years. He left there a reorgan-
lied and sound banking system, a
good railroad system, no debts, nearly
100000 unincumbered money in the
treasury, a sugar crop of nearly 1.OOO.-
600 tons, sound municipal laws, fine
public works, a firm agricultural
foundation and an absolute respect
among the people for life and prom
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 Cuba 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 a civil government, this
time among a Mohammedan people.
There he did the same successful
work he did in Cuba.
This period of residence in the Phil
ippines gave Wood an opportunity to
study conditions in the British colo
MES, Borneo, Singapore, and to keep
in close touch with conditions in
Japan and along the China coast.
Wood Travelled through India, spent
some time with the Dutch in Java. and
with Lord Cromer in Egypt. He
gained and retained knowledge of all
which at that time came under his stu.
diOus observation.
Then Leonard Wood became chief
of the general staff of the United
States army, in whose hands rests
very largely the direction and admin
istration Of the military establishment.
which after all is 90 per cent a BUSH
ness matter.
The administrative career of Leon
ard Wood is spread upon the records
of his country. The work which be
has done is lasting. 1t is a states.
mans work.