Taft was governor of the Philippines, and later Secretary of War, during the Philippine-American War.
According to Alfred McCoy (http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175724/):
"Starting in 1901, the first U.S. governor-general (and future president) William Howard Taft drafted draconian sedition legislation for the islands and established a 5,000-man strong Philippines Constabulary. In the process, he created a colonial surveillance state that ruled, in part, thanks to the agile control of information, releasing damning data about enemies while suppressing scandals about allies.
When the Associated Press’s Manila bureau chief reported critically on these policies, Taft’s allies dug up dirt on this would-be critic and dished it out to the New York press. On the other hand, the Division of Military Information compiled a scandalous report about the rising Filipino politician Manuel Quezon, alleging a premarital abortion by his future first lady. Quezon, however, served the Constabulary as a spy, so this document remained buried in U.S. files, assuring his unchecked ascent to become the first president of the Philippines in 1935."
MacArthur declared martial law and implemented General Order 100, a
Civil War-era directive on the law of war that, among other tough
provisions, subjected combatants not in uniform, and their supporters,
to execution. This program forced civilians to take sides and served
to increasingly isolate guerillas from popular support.
The United States employed collective punishments that involved
families and communities.22 Municipal officials or principales were
held responsible for events that occurred in their towns. Prisoners
were held until they—or family or friends—provided information,
weapons, or both. Crops, buildings, and other property could be
confiscated or destroyed as punishment. General Order 100 lifted some
restrictions on courts, resulting in more prisoners being executed.
When General Order 100 was implemented, it was proclaimed in English,
Spanish, and Tagalog. It clarified that civic works were a secondary
priority to “punitive measures against those who continued to
resist.”29 Over time, information operations convinced an increasing
number of Filipinos that their interests were best served by the
American administration and not the principales
The weapon collection policy also merits a mention. When implemented
in 1899, a 30-peso bounty was initially a dismal failure, with only a
few dozen weapons turned in nationwide. By 1901, when coupled with
other successful pacification policies, it was common for hundreds of
rifles to be surrendered by disbanding insurgent groups. The lesson is
that any given tactic, technique, or procedure employed in isolation
may fail, but as part of a comprehensive mix of carrots and sticks can
be part of an effective program.http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Ar...