The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-26
THE RESIGNATION
OF ROOT ACCEPTED
Taft to Succeed Him the First
of the Year.
WRIGHT STEPS HIGHER
He Will Become Governor General Of The Philip
pines Succeeding Taft When The Latter
Enters President Roosevel.'s
Cabinet.
WRIGHT STEPS HIGHER
(By the Associated Press.n

Oyster Bay, N. Y. Aug. 25.-Secretary
Root under date of August % presented
his resignation formally to the President.
The resignation was accepted by the Pres
ident with the understanding that Mr..
Root continue as Secretary OF War at
least until January 1st.
Governor General William H. Taft, of
the Philippines, viii succeed Secretary
Root as Secretary of War.
President Roosevelt today authorized the
following statement:
THE President some months ago ten
dered the Secretaryship OF War TO Judge
Taft and at that time 1t was arranged
that he would succeed Secretary Root.
Secretary Root viii go out of office some
time in January and Judge Taft will
assume the duties of the Office shortly
afterward.'
The President also authorized the pub
hcation OF the correspondence between
him and Secretary Root concerning the
latter's resignation. In his letter of resig
nation Mr.. Root says he wishes to retire
to private life, and thinks his resigna-
nation should be in the Presidents hands
before his departure for England to at
tend the sessions of the Alaskan Boundary
Commission. Mr.. Root concludes:
Il shall carry with me unabated loyalty
to your administration, confidence in the
sound conservatism and patriotic unset
fshness of your policy and enduring graft
tude for the kindness and consideration
with which your friendship has honored
me-" as4Ass
To this letter the = asidsnt replied at
length saying in part:
1T is hard indeed for me to accept your
resignation; and l do so not only with
keen personal regret, but with a lively
understanding of the gap your withdrawal
will create in public life. My sense of
personal loss is very great; and yet my
sense of the loss to the nation as
whole is even greater. You have been
over four years Secretary of War. 1
wonder if you yourself realize how much
you have accomplished during that pc
riod. If you will turn to your first re-
ports and will read therein the recommen-
dations you made in order that the army
might be put on an effective basis you
cannot but be pleased at the way in
which these recommendations have now
been adopted by Congress as well as by
the administration, and have become en-
acted into law or crystallized into Gus
:cm.
''Your duties have included more than
merely the administration of the depart
ment and the reorganization of the army
on an effective basis. You have also
been the head of the department which
dealt with the vast and delicate problems
involved in our possession of the Philip
pine Islands and your success IN dealing
with this part of your work has been as
signal as your success IN dealing with
the purely military problem. Moreover
aside from your work in these two dlvis-
icns of the government service, l appre-
ciate most keenly the invaluable advice
and assistance you have rendered me IN
matters of weight not com
ing directly in your departmental prov
ince."
Gen. Luke E. Wright, of Memphis, Tenn.
will succeed Judge Taft as governor-generai
Of the Philippines. when the latter be-
comes Secretary of War next January, In
to Elihu Root President
this evening authorized the AS
sociated Press to make the announcement
that the post had been offered to General
Wright and that he had accepted 1t.
General Wright is now member OF the
Philippine Commission and vice governor
Of the islands. He is a lifelong Demo
crat.
Both the President and Secretary Root
'egard General Wright as man of proved
executive ability his services as a member
If the Philippine Commission having been
If distinguished character. During Gov
,rnor Taft's extended sojourn in this coun-
ry, General Wright was acting governor
general and his conduct OF the offlce was
| source of congratulatlon to the admins
ration.
General Wright is popular not only
With Americans in the Philippines, but
llso with the Filipinos, who hold him only
econd in their estimation to Governor
Taft.