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57 The Bureau of Insular Affairs Bureau of Customs and Insular Affairs (1900–1903) His sad duty complete, Lieutenant Colonel Edwards was ordered to report to the secretary of war for temporary duty. He was promptly assigned to the War Department in what was then called the Division of Customs and Insular Affairs (later designated as the Bureau of Insular Affairs), where he became chief, effective February 12, 1900.1 At first, Edwards was not sure how long his assignment would last—he would remain there for the next twelve years. While the bureau concerned itself with the affairs of all of this country’s newly acquired possessions, such as Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands, a significant portion of its efforts was directed toward the latter. Herbert Parsons, a member of Congress from New York, referred to it as a “bureau of information and report for the Philippine Islands.” He praised the efforts of Edwards and his assistant, Capt. Frank McIntyre, and went on to describe the functions of that office relating to the Philippines: “It handles their interests here, makes their necessary financial arrangements, compiles statistics in regard to them, cares for their students who are being educated here, and looks after the purchases that must be made here. It has divisions of correspondence, records, compilation of statistics, accounting, and purchasing and disbursing.”2 To that end, under Edwards’s direction, in November 1902, the bureau published The Pronouncing Gazetteer and Geographical Dictionary of the Philippine Islands, which included maps, charts, and illustrations.3 The bureau was also involved in currency reform for the islands leading to the eventual adoption of the gold standard for their peso.4 To those who worked in the Philippines, the bureau was something more. Frank W. Carpenter, then executive secretary of the Philippines , referred to it as “our guardian angel.”5 4 58 Revered Commander, Maligned General At first, Edwards and his family settled into temporary quarters on Sixteenth Street.6 By September 25, he had found a house at 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, but was awaiting the arrival of their furniture and other belongings, which were, at that time, scattered among Fort Clark, Cleveland, and Niagara Falls. By October, the furniture still had not arrived, and the family was“camped out . . . with kitchen furniture, hospital beds and straight back dining-room chairs.” The summer had been a busy one, and on top of the move, Edwards was awaiting the results of the promotion exam which he had taken shortly after he had returned from the Philippines. In addition, according to Edwards, Bessie had not been“altogether well”for the past several months and was recovering from an operation. Even though his wife had been away from Washington during the summer, the heat had “knocked her out.” He hoped that the new house would give her a lift and “correct her physical disabilities.”7 Living in the nation’s capital had other compensations. Given his family and political connections, as well as his position within the War Department, Edwards was accepted as a member at a number of prestigious clubs, such as the Chevy Chase Hunt Club and the Metropolitan Club. The latter, located on Seventeenth Street, was clearly the most prestigious. Founded in 1863, its membership was a virtual who’s who of Washington notables, both political and military. Included within its ranks were Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root, John Hay, Leonard Wood, George Dewey, and Arthur MacArthur.8 However beneficial these associations were for an officer’s career, more often than not the financial strains were enormous, even for Clarence and Bessie, who were considered better off than most.9 Elihu Root, a lawyer by profession, served McKinley and then Roosevelt as secretary of war from August 1, 1899, to January 31, 1904.10 Archie Butt, a Washington insider, observed that Root “appears cold, yet . . . [he] . . . binds his associates to himself with hooks of steel, and will hold on to friends . . . merely on account of the humanity that is in him.”11 After only a few months on the job, Edwards, who reported directly to the secretary, was admiring of Root’s work ethic.“His ability to concentrate his mind is the prettiest piece of finished business I have ever seen,” he wrote a friend. While President McKinley spent the summer in Canton, Ohio, Edwards continued: “He [Root] literally ran the whole government this summer, or the whole administration and, upon my word, I never saw four months of heat...

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