Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wolcott Wadsworth
Subject(s): Governmental investigations, Illinois--Chicago, Meat industry and trade, Meat--Packing, Neill, Charles Patrick, 1865-1942, Reynolds, James Bronson, 1861-1924, United States. Bureau of Animal Industry, United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Dept. of Agriculture
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President Roosevelt sends Congressman Wadsworth the reports of an inspection made by a committee appointed by the Department of Agriculture into conditions at meat packinghouses. Prior to the completion of these inspections, Roosevelt ordered a similar investigation be made by Commissioner of Labor Charles Patrick Neill and James Bronson Reynolds. Their report is not yet concluded and contains some details not touched upon by the Department of Agriculture’s reports, but there is no significant disagreement in the two studies. Roosevelt believes that the simple fact of investigations into conditions at the packinghouses has already produced beneficial changes, and provides the text of a letter attesting to this. In order to continue this improvement of conditions, Roosevelt calls for “immediate, thoroughgoing and radical enlargement of the powers of the Government in inspecting all meats which enter into interstate and foreign commerce.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-06-08
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Wadsworth, James Wolcott, 1846-1926
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
4
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 Wolcott Wadsworth. [June 8, 1906]. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195716. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wolcott Wadsworth. [8 Jun. 1906]. Multi-image. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 2, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195716.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.: , [1906, June 8]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wolcott Wadsworth. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195716.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. 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 Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 2, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
