Lieutenant Governor of Amburayan

This chapter evaluates John Early's role as the lieutenant governor of Amburayan. It took Early two weeks to wrap up his work as a teacher in Bontoc and transition into his new administrative position. Even before he arrived in Tagudin, the local officials and residents received word that their new American lieutenant governor had spent his entire Philippine career among the Igorots and that the highlanders spoke highly of him. He then spent his first days in office seeking advice from the local teachers on how he could best reach out to the community. Early's worldview, solidified by his undergraduate sociology studies, included a passionate desire to see disenfranchised people receive justice. As a lieutenant governor, this served as his moral compass and would lead to both his downfall and later vindication. It also manifested itself among the Kankanaey, not just in protecting them from the lowlanders but also demanding that the more aggressive Igorots refrain from exploiting the Kankanaey. The chapter then looks at the events that placed him at the center of attention of the governor-general and the US secretary of war.