The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-07-02
THE NEW SECRETARY OF WAR.

quite q remarkable family, with one OF
1.-THE brothers q member of Congress al
the time of the outbreak of the war
and who led his regiment at Belmont
where he met John A. Logan. p. b
Foulke. and John A. McClernand. who
HAD been his colleagues in Congress. and
Union troops. Judge Wright recently
who had left their seats to lead the
died in Washington, where he had held
position in the Land Office for many
years.
Another brother, Gen. Marcus j.
Wright. went into the Confederate army
as Colonel of the 15Sth Tenn, served
thru the war, attained to the rank oil
Brigadier-General. and has been for
wears connected with the publication OF
the Records of the War of the Re-
bellion. He has been of the greatest
value in gathering up Confederate re-
ports and other papers.
Mr. Wright will be the first Secretary
of War from the South since Jefferson
Davis and John B. Floyd. Jefferson
Davis was Secretary under Fankiin
Fierce, ana JpI1H Itgh uiNNA
Buchanan. President Cleveland appoint
ed a Southern man, Col. Hilary A. Her
bert, of Alabama, Secretary of the Navy,
who was the first Southern man TO hold
that position since James Cochran Dob
bin. of North Carolina, who was Secre-
tary of the Navy under President Pierce
from March {, 1853 to March 6, 1857.
Since the war, Illinois has had the
Secretaryship of War seven years, Iowa.
eight years: Massachusetts. four years:
Michigan. two years; Minnesota. one
wear; New York. nine years: Ohio. five
years: Pennsylvania. eight years; Yer
mont, three years; and West Virginia,
enc year.
The reasons which impelled the selec-
ton of Mr. Wright for Secretary are
that the War Departments business has
extended so far beyond administering
the Army and improving the rivers and
harbors, as TO make these functions
quite secondary. The principal bust
ness of the Department now is the Dig
ging of the Panama Canal and the
administration of our insular posses
sions Mr. Wright has especial fitness
for these tasks He spent five years
in the Philippines. more than halt OF
which time he was at the head OF
the Government. This period embraced
the tetnpestuous and formative days
of the present insular establishment.
He arrived at Manila. June 8. 1900, hav-
ing been appointed on the TAFT COM
mission by President Mckinley in pur-
suance of his policy of interesting the
South in our new colonial policy. He
WAS n lawyer of commanding ability.
and had distinguished himself by earn
est aud practical work for the benefit
of his section by his administrative
ability and his practical benevolcnce at
the tirae the yellow fever visited Mem
phis: then he took the greatest per-
sonal risks in caring for the stricken
people, and hesitated at no danger to
nurse and care for the victims.
In the Philippines he showed great
capacity and was particularly instru-
mental in the development of the COM
mercial. industrial, and agricultural re-
sources of the Archipelago.
His principal achievements were the
preparation of the criminal or penal
code now in force in the Philippines,
fitc Organization of the Philippine con-
stabulary to take the place of the Regu-
lar. Army in many parts of the archi-
pelago, the organization of police
force for the city of Manila. and the i'm
provement of Manila Harbor. He was
Acting Civil Governor from Nov. A.,
1901. till Aug. %, 1902. His first pub
lie speech in the Philippines was dcliv-
cred on the Luncta, in Manila, Feb. %.
1901, after he had resided there about
nine months. In that speech he out
lined his views about the government
of the islands, and during the succeed
ing years il is said that he never de-
parted materially from the views he
then announced. He stood for equal
opportunities for all in the Philip
pines-for Americans, Europeans and
Filipinos. This was criticised at first
as counter TO Taft's shibboleth, "thcI
Philippines for the Filipinos." 1t was
claimed, however. that it was not at all
in conflict with Taft's ideas. and the
two men certainly co-operatcd earnestly
for the uplifting of the Filipinos.
He became Civil Governor OF the
Philippines early in 1904-when Taft
resigned to become Secretary of War
and delivered his inaugural address in
the Marble Hall of the Ayuntamientc
on Feb. of that year. He then pledged
himself 10 further the principles of the
Taft administration. Subsequently, on
Feb 6, 1905, the title of the Office was
changed TO that OF Governor-General,
and so i; came about that he was the
first Goyernor-General-o of the Philip
pines. He spent all of two vacations ''in
the United States. knocking at the
doors of Congress for recognition of the
rights of the I'ilipinos in matters finan-
ciaI and commercial" In this capacity
he was instrumental in securing from
Congress the Philippine currency law.
the constlbulary Jaw and the SO zoe, OOG
agricultural relief law.
Perhaps the most notable event of
his administration as Governor of the
islands was the suppression of a ladrone
outbreak in the Provinces of Cavitc and
Batangas He conducted aggressive
military operations against Mantalon,
Felizardo and other bandit leaders,
after he had given the local authorities
every opDortunity To deal with the sit-