The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-08-28
President Roosevelt Makes
Positive Announcement
Of the Changes.
THE LETTERS EXCHANGED
President Authorizes the Publication of
the Correspondence Between Him.
self and the War Secretary
on Resignation.

War Root under date of Augnust 19pre-
sented his resignation formally to the
president. The resignation was ac-
cepted by the president with the un-
derstanding that Mr.. Root continue as
secretary of war at least until Janu-
airy l.
Governor General William H. Taft
Of the Philippines will succeed Mr.
Root.
The president authorized the follow
ing statement:
The president some months ago
rendered the secretaryship of war to
Judge Taft, and at that time it was
arranged that he would succeed Sec
retary Root. Mr.. Root will goA out of
Office some time in January, and Judge
Taft will assume the duties of the Office
shortly afterwards"
The president also authorized the
publication Of the correspondence be-
tween himself and Secretary Root con-
cerning the latterAs resignation.
The full correspondence follows:
Dear Mr.. President: You have been go
| good as to assent to the sufhciency Of rea-
sons for which I have wished to retire to
| private life as soon as practicable after
the establishment Of the general staff
army and the completion Of my full four
| years service as secretary of war:
| While 1t Is understood you probably Will
not arrange to fill the office as you wish
before the end OF the year, and that
am to remain in office IN the meantime,
| the name to the senate in November or
| December, and before you do SO my res
ignation should be in your hands {, f find nd
to attend the sessions OF ehe Alaska
boundary tribunal, quite unable to Judge
how MANI months l shall be kept away
| from this country and l therefore now
tender my resignation Of the office of sec
retary of war to take effect upon appolnt-
ment and qualification of my successor:
hon na hated l0ValtV
to your administration, confidence In the
sound conservatism and patriotic unset
of the ana
ton with which your friendship has hon
ored me. ! shall not cease to aPpreclate
Mckinley with which you took up and
carried on his work, and I shall always
be happy to have been part OF the ad-
to the true interests of the country.
am. with great respect and esteem. al
ways. faithfully yours, Elihu Root.
) The Presidents Reply.
! To the foregoing the President replied
oyster ter Bay L. l., Aug A-Hon. Elihu
. Root, Secretary Of War. Washington, D;
C.-My Dear Mr. Root: 1t is hard indeed
for me to accept your resigna tlon, and and
but with 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. l
wonder if you yourself realize how much
YOU have accomplished during that period.
If you will turn to your first report and
read therein the recommendations you
made in order that the army might be put
} on an effective basis, you cannot but be
l pleased at the way in which these recon-
mendations have now been adopted by
: congress as we'll as by the administrat tion
! and become enacted into law or crystal
l lied into custom. We never had public
), servant of the government who worked
harder than you have worked during these
: four years and a half, and this not merely
: in point of time but above all in point
OF to Your ana labor The only 1ar
e you have had, or can have, Is the knowl-
e edge of successful achievement of per.
formance in the fullest fashion of great
public duty, the doing Of which was OF
vital Importance to the nations welfare.
Your duties have included more thar
ment and reorganization of the army or
n an effective basis: You also have beer
the head of the department which dealt
+, with the vast and delicate problems i'll
y voked in our possession Of the Philip
T pine islands, and your success In dealing
e with this part Of your work has been as a:
}. signal as your success in dealing witt
n purely military problems. To very few
8 statesmen, indeed, in any country, is i
given at and and fng same 5mH
: the administration and reform of thu
t military branch Of government and il
Il the administration OF what what was m effec m C
: where the problems were new to our peo
j pie and were in themselves of great DIFF
= 1iculty.
a these two divisions of the governmen
# service, l appreciate most keenly the in
valuable advice and assistance you hav
rendered me in innumerable matters O
weight not coming directly>in your de
!, partmental province, bnt in which
Sought your aid with certainty of not be
ing disappointed Your position on tn
Is Alaskan boundary commission at tn
present moment is an illustration Of thes
J., Services.
!. May all good fortune attend you whe1
le ever you are; the American people wis
you well and appreciate to the full tn
: debt due you for all that you have don
lr on their behalf. Frat aternally yours,
10 Theodore Roosevelt.
" ------s--s'->s ->s------------------- s------------- %