The Alaska daily empire., 1920-01-23
GEN WOOD AND THE PRESIDENCY

GEN WOOD AND THE PRESIDENCY
 While the, Judgment of independent observers o things poiitcar is that Gen. Wood will not be the Repibfican nominee for President 1t Is conceded that he is in fead this time, In other words he is the "favorite among those in the race ano the other apitants or4the nomination constitute the |fieldf MosE of the wise onesseem to be picking the field against the favorfte. However, Gen. Woods lead at this time makes his candidacy interesting
 Gen. Woods campaign is being waged largely on two points: One, that he the close personal friend and supporter of former President Roosevelt who has sprung into great favor again, particularly since his death; and, two, the assumption that he should have been given command of the Ameri- can army in France instead of Gen Pershing How eyer the judgment of the American people will DC registered all probability, without regard to either of these things, for, 1t must be admitted that friend ship and support of President Roosevelt are not necessarily qualifications for the Presidency Other wise there would hardly be hamlet in the land not excepting Juneau and. others in Alaska-whlci could offer many candidates as suitable as Gen Wood Nor will it be the judgment of the average voter that the occupancy of the Chief Executive position should be decided upon the question as to whether Gen. Wood should have had command in Prince instead of Gen. sPershing Gen. Pershng did the job.
 The question then becomes one of whether the American people want man for President whose principal experience in life has been that of mif tary officer4and one who has never performed an important part in war--or not If we consult ms tory the experience of the Nation does not hold out great hope for those who are booming Gen. Wood Excepting Gen Harrison who served for one month and Gen Taylor who served for ten months, we have mad but President whose claim to serve in that capacity based upon an experience almost wholly military and he the successful military com mander-in-chief of the greatest war in which the country had ever engaged-Gen Grant It is true that many of our Presidents had had military ex- perience which added their popularity but their lives had been devoted to other things than war War had been incident in their careers and not the careers. Washington was great military lead but he had also been one of the leading business men of his country with his agents and bankers in London, and he had been prominent in public life for oyer two decades. He was the leading farmer and planter and one of the two or three richest men of the continent, and Virgina's First Citizen" " when the Revolutionary War began Jackson was a successful lawyer planter and farmer. and man of affairs before he startled the world with his mili tary genius in the New Orleans campaign. which re- suited in the defeat of Gen Pakenham, one of Well linetoB,s favorite officers and of the picked troops which had performed mngnifcient- ly sunder Wellington in Spain and who far outnum bered Jacksons frontiersmenss He had served as Prosecuting Attorney, where he made great record in his strenuous fight against crime the Tennes see Supreme Bench and in the United States Senate before he the Presidency. For many years he had been looked upon as the leader of the com people of his country Pierce had earned more than local reputation as a lawyer ana scholar ana man of affairs before he went to Mexico and earned his military title He served his country creditably in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and became known the most popular in Washing ton account of his charming personality before he was elected President in 1852. It Gov. Hayes tho very able lawyer and successful Chief Executive of AOhio. rather than Gen. Hayes that to the Presidency in is77, and 1t was the Republican min ortty leader in the House of Representatives.. the or34or and most popular Ohio politician and states m3sxathar stbaR. the. military officer who became President when Gen. Garfield elected The sec oni Harrison 4hd Mckinley @electeds President onhe strength of their records civiliaDs rather than their military records While Roosevelt's spec tasniar regiment of "RoughridersP In the Santiago campaign added to his hold the popular imag ination. he had been marked man in the civil life of America for many years before the Spanish War He had been Republican leader in the New York Assembly, he had lead the New York delegation and the campaign against Blaine in the Republican Ma tional Convention of 1884 he had run for Mayor oi New York and had served Civil Service Commis sioner, Police Commissioner of New York City. Gov erpor of New York. and then he entered the Presi- dency through the vice-Presdential chair.
 tary men, to serve full term-and while he served two terms the judgment of history is that he de- trtted from gather than added to his population 2 IesuIt e ,hi@ aeryics.tn that office.>. fs
 m we are to examine history for precedents as to 6Snaeagttys q Presidential candidates the verdict