Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1920-01-29

varieties Of it thar It has been the lor
Of many men ever to have placed up
on their shoulders
Not long after this there came the
greater opportunities ~ Havana. II
was necessary 10 fe-write the ele7ffea
laws 70 make them lit the hab.tsNof Gle
people. Production mad to be semu-
lated, for agriculture was tl4e main
source of the islands wealth. Here
again The same measures We're follow
eG and as n result there were estab-
lisAed law and order, protection Of T
life and property, and liberty WITH /
in the law.
These were the foundation stones. |
Wood hnew that the government must
be run by the Cubans, and 50 SO per /
cent Of the oAiclals engaged in The I
great work Of reconstruction were |
selected from the people Of tise island. |
The Cubans were taught government
While the government was beiag bAiit /
and thus they We're able to run 1T when
the rule Of The island was turned over
70 IFS Inhabitants.
When it became necessary to reer-
anize the Cuban railroads Wood ser
al ia me services Of Sir william van
I'nHne, president Of the Canadian Fa-
q and Of Granville-M. Do6ge, bulil-
er Nthe Union Pacific. :.
TIE same general policy vas fol-
lowed ID dealing with the problem 81
caring for the tens Of thousands OF
orphans that had been left b. the war.
Homer Folks, commissioner Of ehari-
ties Of the state Of New York, Was
called to Cuba by Wood to aid in tsln
establishment of a system for piaeing
and permanently caring for these lit
lie desolates. Chief Justice White
Of the Supreme court of the United
States at that time an associate jus
tice, was consulted as to the method to
be pursued in reorganizing 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
$2,000,000 uninclunoered money in the
treasury, a sugar crop of nearly 1000
coo tons, sound municipal laws, fine
public works, firm agricultural
I foundation and an absolute respect
among the people for life and prop
ertv. The school system which Wood
established was founded on the laws
If Massachusetts and Ohio. Roads
yere built which made communication
Il. The hospitals erected under his
suaervision 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
ne~er was paralleled in colonial pos
cns anywhere. Theodore Roose-
said that Leonard Wood has
re- ered services to Cuba of kind
wh1eh, 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
confroDted with the difficult labor of
establishing civil government, this
time among 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
ia 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,
J which after all is 90 per cent bust.
: ness matter.
( The administrative career OF Leon.
: ard Wood is spread upon the records
J. of his country. The work which he
E has done is lasting. It is states.
mans work.