New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-04-22
WOOD GOOD MAN
FOR ISLANDS TASK
GENERAL WILL LEARN THE
TRUTH ABOUT PHILIPPINES
AND TELL IT FEARLESSLY.
WELL EQUIPPED FOR MISSION
He Has Been 4 Close Student of orien-
tai and Tropical Peoples-Report
Won't Be Published Until Next
Autumn,
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Westinghouse is said that the
administration was moved to send
General Wood TO the Philippines to
o the truth about actual cOndi-
tons In the islands, not only by the
fact that the general is an acute and
an astute person. but by the fact that
he has followed closely reports about
conditions in the islands ever since
the day that he served there as a
soldier. and as the governor of a
province.
The Republican leaders here say
that they know pretty well what the
matter is In the Philippines, but that
they need the marshaling Of circum-
stances and of facts in such an ar
ray as to make the proof of bad con-
ditions manifest at once to the Amer
lean people. There are a good many
Democrats In congress who hold with
the Republicans that conditions in the
Islands are bad, but there are other
Democrats, and with them some Re-
IL OCiICNt thut tllinRS
are right over there and that the d.
rect intimatiOn by former President
Wilson that the islands were ripe for
self-gOvernment was based on knowl-
edge of the truth.
1t is not intended here to go into
discussion Of the truth or lack Of
truth of the reports concerning evil
conditions In the islands. but to
make 1t clear from a personal knOwl-
edge of the methods of Gen. Leonard
Wood that he will find out the truth
and the proofs that attest it, and that
he will make a report on conditions
which will not be biased in any way
by a desire or lack of desire to please
any particular American party to the
controversy, whether II be composed
of Democrats, Republicans. or So
called im%perialists or anti-imperial-
lists.
VIII Learn the Truth and Tell II.
l had a close intimacy of ten
months duration with General Wood.
! came to know his methods. his d.
way of finding out whether a
thing was so or not, and also his d.
rect way of dealing with a subject
after he had learned the rights and
the wrongs in the case. He always
has been a gluttOn for work, and he
Is just as much of a gluttOn for 1t to-
day as ever he was, for his sixty years
gently on him, and physically
he Is the most powerful man of his
years that ! ever met. His power of
mentality is unquestioned by any of
his army or civilian ~adversaries.
The main thing for the people of
The United States to understand in
his case, It seems to me, is that the
will find out the truth about
he Philippines and tell It, whether
he truth is to the liking of the Hard
ng administration or to its disliking.
,r whether 1t Is to the liking of the
Ormer Wilson administration or to
is dislikfng. What more can this
ask?
Leonard Wood has studied oriental
md tropical peoples at close range.
lie has had a physicians interest In
hem. plus the soldiers and the gov
rnOr's interest. He knows all about
he religions of the Orient. He is
quipped TO exchange Koran quota
Ions with the MOhammedans Ia boil
ter up the American side of the
ase. He has done 1t.
The report on conditions I'm the
will mo- be ready for pub
until some time next fall. II
probable that high officials of the
resent administration and of the re-
Democratic administration will
cad the report with an interest
'hich has In 1t something of the
eenness of anxiety. Wood and w.
aneron Forbes. who Is to accom-
any him to the Philippines and to
Ike part in the investigation. are not
TO smother their meanings in a
.atherbed of words. :
Senate Has Improved.
There are many new faces today In
he United States senate, and also a
realty increased majority of Repub- {
can faces, but II is the same old Uni +,
d States senate that it has been !
n ten years. !
Just what does one mean by this?
ell, the senate is composed of aver
,e patriotic American citizens, of a a
tile more than average ability in
ost cases, and in some cases of a +
cd deal more than average ability. Il
he senate always has been this way, d
t In n sense the United States 4
nate has changed. Q
The question has been asked occa- c
,nally II the direct election of the 8
natOrs a changed the senate body n
aterially. The same type of Amer d
IN is there today that was there in
e old days, although it is probable +
at some men are in the upper house II
day who would not be there II the v
yislatures still had the right of selec- e
I. There were cases in the elder c,
y where rich men seemed to find W
cir way into the senate of the Uni d
] States when In some instances c,
or men had nc chance. The reason W
ly not be hard to guess In