A Mayor from Bilibid

The War Department, much petitioned by Filipinos who dislike Governor General Wood's rule of their islands, was again jolted by the Philippine political drama. Without warning the Department suddenly received a telegram from Manuel Quezon (recently resigned President of the Philippine Senate) protesting because General Wood had appointed an ex-convict Mayor of Manila.

The charge was startling and a credit to the astuteness of the wily Quezon. Shortly after Quezon's telegram another telegram arrived from General Wood. The General said that neither he nor any of his assistants had known of anything discreditable in the new Mayor's record, until Quezon's outburst. The new Mayor, Eulogio Rodriguez, it seemed, however, had been convicted in 1900, aged 16, of procuring the abduction of a woman by bandits. He had served a year in Bilibid Penitentiary. Subsequently, 1901-1907, he was in the Government service as an interpreter arid in other capacities. In 1909 the Governor General appointed him Mayor of Montalban, Rizal. In 1916 he was elected Governor of Rizal. In 1922 he was reelected. In 1916, when elected Governor, the Governor General made an investigation of Rodriguez's record, and Rodriguez was allowed to stay in office. General Wood added that Rodriguez had proven an efficient Governor.

Philippine newspapers improved the story by adding that Rodriguez had been an accomplice in the murder of a U. S. soldier General Wood is investigating, and Philippine politics go gaily on their way.

Information from the White House declared that President Coolidge would support General Wood in the general exercise of his powers.