Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield
Subject(s): Governmental investigations, Railroads--Freight--Rates, Railroads--Freight--Rates--Law and legislation, Standard Oil Company, Trusts, Industrial--Government policy, United States. Congress, United States. Department of Justice, United States. Dept. of Justice
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President Roosevelt writes to Commissioner of Corporations Garfield regarding the results of his investigations into railroad rates. While open rates do not appear to be unlawful, they are a strong argument for the passage of the railroad rate bill currently being considered by Congress. Roosevelt asks for a list of the secret rates that were not discontinued before the publication of the report, as well as a list of cases Rudolph believes should be presented to the Department of Justice for possible action. Roosevelt believes future development on this issue will involve antitrust law instead of interstate commerce law, as the government examines if there is “any radical remedy for the existence of a great corporation acting as the Standard Oil Company has been shown by your report to act.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-05-31
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Garfield, James Rudolph, 1865-1950
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
3
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield. [May 31, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195644. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield. [31 May. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 20, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195644.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1906, May 31]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195644.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 20, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
