Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-09

Souls in the Trying.
War. in all its horror. burned up
and down Europe. America slept
on. Theodore Roosevelt and other
warm -souied patriots and prophets
famed up and down the length of
the. country trying to make America
see that soon ii must take its place
for civilizations sake in The brave
line that was holding Germany
back from the United States itself
even.
In the army, Leonard Wood was
about the only high chief who was
doing the same thing. While Roose-
Welt preached, Wood practiced.
Each, in his own line, worked night
ana day to make America ready for
what must come.
The training camp system seem
ed 10 be the biggest thing that
Wood could do, single handed and
hampered as he was, to put the
nation even on partally-prepared
basis. There was no money for
the cause, but group of patriotic
citizens from all over the country
organized to help Wood put over
his program. ...-.....
Students in those early years of
the training camp system paid their
own expenses, in most part. They
were earnest boys from schools and
colleges, offices and factories,
farms and cities, who knew that
the wayto be prepared for war is
to be prepared. They realized, UNI
der the stimulus of Roosevelt's
fiery tongue and the lnstigation of
Woods practical example, that the
principal need when war came
would b. officers TO man the huge
army which would be needed.
1t would he comparatively easy
task to prepare the American citi-
zen for war His spirit thoroughly
aroused by the wrongs done by
the Prussian invaders of little Bel
GUM and of France, his body
naturally strong and clean from
the predominating outdoor life of
our people ana his intelligence and
his ability to think would rapidly
turn him into a good soldier. But
the question of officers would be a
much bigger problem, there was so
much of the technical that they
must be grounded in, so that our
Slim STRAIGHTFORWARD young sol.
dicfs should not be sacrificed need
lessly on the altar of patriotism.
So Wood expanded the Platts-
burg plan to his utmost strength.
In 1915, there were 3,40G men in
;,,
training camp organizations merged
into the Military Training Camps
association of the United States
and Wood had a system once more
through which TO put his admin
and organizing talents in
to effect.
Wood, too, spent much of his
time speaking at the crossroads
of the nation, looking the truth
squarely in the face, telling every
he could reach just what
was coming and how it must be
met.
The Plattsburg plan really was
effective on big scale in May.
1917, and by the time the men of
the first drafts began to fill the
hastily constructed cantonments,
10000 officers were ready to TAXI
them overseas and lead them into
battle. Most of them had been
trained in forty days a thousand
men day qualified as leaders, raw
of course, crude in many little
things. but equipped with Ameri-
can horse sense and such element
ais of military education as it was
physically and mentally possible
to CLEAN in that short time under
Woods tutelage ra
Here again Wood caught the fire
Of the old West Point opposition
which had been his fate in Cuba
and in the Philippines. lie and
Roosevelt were equal victims of
this antag9nism. Neither of them
had gone through the West Point |
and so, according to
the army, neither Of them was an
or an organizer. |
They cut too much red tape, for
The sake of their boys and their |
supplies and lives, to suit the |!
spurred and -chaired officers |
IF the Washington sector, it seemed |
10 the outside observer.
This antagonism was emphasized |
Turing the first Plattsburg camp. |
Wood had invited leaders of the |
nation to speak to the embryo Of
'icers, at different times. ROose-
felt and Taft were on the list The |
speeches were nothing but inspired
nothing of the political !
vas allowed criticism was forbid
len. .n rF -T
But after Roosevelt had spoken,
While he was waiting at the railroad
station with Several newspaper
men for the train, he gave out an |
in which he denounced |
lyphenated Americans and profess
iienal paoifists and criticised
delays.
One of Washingto bureau
rattle gentlemen promptly wired n
;cathihg eall-down to Wood, and
that no opportunity be
furnished for a repetition Of such
unpleasant reminders Of Inefficient
" and incapacity
1t must have been gall and |
to the weary, lahoring
patriot, but like the heroic man of |,
,ody and soul that he is; Wood
imply wired back: "Your tele-
ram received and the policy laid l
levin win be rigidly adhered to-"
War had come and Wood be- !.
ieved that he could be of inestim-
bile service in leading troops which
lie had trained and officers he had
aught, into actual service over