The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-04-15
SANTIAGO SAVED
BY LEONARD WOOD
HercuIean Labor OF Soldier Doc
tor in City infested by Plaques.
PROTECTING Stamped Out
BY JOHN G. HoLmE.
Author Of "The Life OF Leonard Wood"

Author Of THE Life OF Leonard WOOD.
"
When Leonard Wood, now Briga.
dier-General of Volunteers, assumed
/ charge OF Santiago about one-third Of
/ the eity's 5000 inhabitants were sick
| and the whole population was threat
ened with starvation, for the citys
/ food supplies had been cut of during
/ the siege The whole municipal gov
eminent had broken down. Riding
/ into the city which he was to govern
/ so wisely and successfully, Wood en-
/ countered bodies OF human beings and
| animals along the highway and In the
streets. while overhead scared great
aocks OF buzzards, carrion eaters. The
atmosphere was poisoned with mlas-
ma Of fever and the stencil OF decaying
bodies.
/ Within the ciC. one OF the worst
plague spots on the face OF the earth,
malaria, smallpox, typhoid and yellow
fever ragged. The only sewers were
open CUTTERS damned here and there
| BY dead bodies and refuse. The streets
looked as If they had never been
cleaned. Never had Hercules himself
essayed n worse cleaning Job than that
which lay before the American soldier
doctor.
Cleaning the city and making II M
place for human habitatlon were the
first tasks 10 be taken up. General
Wood recruited a large force of idle
Cuban soldiers and set them to work
collecting the bodies OF men and ami
mails and cleaning the streets. The
natives, who went to work under com
pulsion, continued willingly when they
found themselves paid regularly In
cash and rauOns
Wood Killed Profteering.
II was impossible TO bury the dead,
so Wood had the corpses and carcasses
carted beyond the city limits, soaked In
kerosene and burned The streets were
cleaned and kept clean. Within a day
or two American soldiers found large
stores of food boarded by dealers who
now demanded exorbitant prices, which
the population were unable to pay
Wood sent for the principal butchers
of Santiago and asked them how much
they were charging for beef
Ninety cents a pound, senior"
"How much is Il costing your asked
Wood
"Meat is very dear, your excellency"
Il asked you how much It was cost
Ing you" The military governor was
stern.
Fifteen cents pound. your excel
lency, but we have lost much IN the
war"
"And so have your customers" In
terrupted Wood. "Now, hereafter beef
will he % cents a pound retail, and the
man who tries to force the people OF
Santiago 20 pay more while the whole
sale price remains at 10 cents will go
10 Jail"
Wood was not quite so gentle as our
Food Administration during the late
war; but, on the other hand. he was
far more effective. He killed profteer-
ing In Santiago In a few minutes.
One OF Woods first acts was to ap-
point city council, which had full |
charge of the affairs of the town under |
his general supervision. Having clean |
ed the city, he Issued an order estab-
fishing the freedom OF speech and OF |
assembly. For the first time In Cuban |
history the press was unmuzzled. San |
tiago was full Of radicals. and the rad |
teal press Immediately began abusing |
General Wood, but the press remained |
free. Wood always hated censorship.
Monuments OF His Labor.
II Is now more than twenty years |
since Leonard Wood left Santiago de |
Cuba. yet you can visit that city today
and view everywhere the monuments OF
his labor. You stroll along the beauti-
full marine boulevard. II Is the work |
OF Leonard Wood. The city has an
excellent water system piped from res
ervoirs In the hills-Leonard Woods |
work Santiago has a modern sewer
age system. Wood created this I'm
provement You can take ride into
the country over excellent roads. /
Wood built these highways. Santiago
IS clean and sanitary. Leonard Wood.
NJ. D., personally drew up Cuba's sani-
tution code. now a part OF the Cuban
Constitution.
No. he did not do these things ali
alone. but be showed himself, although /
only thirty-seven years old. a master
organizer and executive lie never
used bis military power except In
He used arbitrary power
10 enforce health regulations You
cannot argue with diseases and death.
The death rate 81 Santiago was 200 1
per day when be became military gov
ernor IN four moutts the death rate
dropped 20 ten per day and Santiago 4
vas The ciaauesf city ID The western
hemisphere. a New England sea cap 4,
tau In fhe transport scryia told ~ I
ne raahgcs wrought by wood 10 tfIr
vag: K
eWheu we mode orF f-f uiu Infn
Ea el tsrhar in 1873 fae 80 ucs
nI ~ buzrarls fH fhe SKINNER ~ Z
( .rst --.r.-. Ut H4H H@ H.- Z