New-York tribune., 1921-11-06
Coast Defense
Soldier Preference
TO the Editor Of Tho Tribune.


your splendid showing up Of the tex
PLANTATION" as to the Wilson attitude
toward Leonard Wood.
am one OF those who was attached
50 Leonard Wood and hold him In tho
deepest Of love and esteem. / learned
to take this attitude through long
service in the Philippines, as private
In oar army. and later as an observer
at many military headquarters, when
] turned correspondent. after my time
was up.
Before / met Leonard Wood / came
TO know two types of army officers
one type saw in the concentration Of
suthority at the top concentration
also Of responsibility and the need to
90 justice to all subordinates. So
came TO know sensitive officers as to
respecting the human rights OF men
below them, like Arthur Macarthur,
Wheaton. Lawton, Funston and Bell.
And ] knew also another type, who
saw in the concentration Of authority
only their power to wreak their will, re-
gardless of the effect on others. They
We're harsh in discipline, quick to call
courts martial and almost universally
bIunderers In battle.
Out of desire to study the army,
being inspired by the Kipling poems,
I hired out as clerk and secretary to
commanding general who admins
tered a large army department and
governed our turbulent Moros. So /
saw the army from the top looking
down for a year or more.
And then, in 1909, as a newspaper
reporter, was assigned to go from
here to Boston with Leonard Woods
Red Army Of Invasion" 1t was a
battle practice in which all was rc1l
but the bullets.
From the outskirts Of the cred army
in it's major assaults on New England
militismen I worked my way to the
Wood headquarters. ] had heard him re-
viled of army men. For half day
| watched him in action during the su-
preme moments of the major naneuver
battle. had never met him before.
had never known Roosevelt. For Was
away In the Philippines during all Of
their Cuban episodes.
But / was so inspired at seeing Wood
behave that sat right down on the
ground in front Of his tent and scrib-
b4ed note to Theodore Roosevelt.
told him l had lived through many
army experiences to meet at last in
Leonard Wood the greatest command
ing general who had ever stood on two
feet in cur generation. He pointed out
enc human and humane thing after
another I had seen him do with the
personnel right around him. And
put in how "red tapers" would have
done something vastly different in each
case, and so would have wrecked mo-
rale, as Leonard Wood had built it.
| told Roosevelt of all the things l
had been "fed up on; that Roosevelt
had merely promoted his "friend. the
DOCTOR" And / said now knew why
Roosevelt loved Leonard Wood and
wanted him at the top Of the army. 1t
was merely because Roosevelt had
come, too, to comprehend what makes
q great soldier; had seen the greatest
one we had and had put him to work
at his natural tasks.
An answer came from Roosevelt. 1t
consisted of only two paragraphs, but
only a supreme soldier with battle ex-
perience could have written either.
The first paragraph stated: "You
never can tell what man will do when
he goes under fire until you see him
lhere." knew this was true, for of
my own officers every one thought I
could absolutely tie to "to lead US
through hell and back" had WEIGHED
out under fire. And modest striplings
in whom none of us had much faith
carried on and forward whenever
things got hottest.
And the second paragraph said: "But
| knew Leonard Wood could organize
the army, and put him at the task for
which he was so superbly fitted"
Maybe I can find this letter now. r.
tcS& At UC5SAFCS q pidCS III tHlS w iiSOH-
Wood affair. For / feel that Wilson
robbed Leonard Wood of more than
any man can take from another in the
way of human rights--and continue to
be happy even with himself.
Now, it SO happens l was assigned to
Sea 'Girt as a reporter for "1'he New
York Times" when Wilson first gained
his status as Presidential candidate.
In fact, was there before he was nom-
inated-during the week Of tedious
balloting at Baltimore.
| saw Wilson in two daily conferences
or more for somc months, and / saw
bis way with men, and the spirit of
resentment in which he hurled men
who came TO help him ont of his
countenance. I saw him humiliate
most of those around him, even in such
humble positions as that of the adju-
tant general of the New Jersey Guard,
who sought to arrange the details of
policing the speech OF notification
occasion.
SO. when he was inaugurated Presi-
dent. ] thought great many things, |
and some of them had to do with
Leonard Wood.
And to Leonard Wood I wrote this |