Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ethan Allen Hitchcock
Subject(s): California--Los Angeles, Flint, Frank P. (Frank Putnam), 1862-1929, Irrigation, Legislation, Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946, Walcott, Charles D. (Charles Doolittle), 1850-1927, Water rights
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President Roosevelt dictates a letter to, and in the presence of, Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock, recording the attitude of himself, Hitchcock, Senator Frank P. Flint of California, Director of the Geological Survey Charles D. Walcott, and Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot, on the topic of the Los Angeles water supply bill. Hitchcock believes that the city should be prohibited from using the water obtained by the bill for irrigation. Flint worries that because the water bill aims to supply water for the next half century, there will be a surplus at the beginning of the term that will need to be used in order to keep their rights to it. Walcott and Pinchot believe there is no objection to using the water for irrigation so long as it is surplus water not needed for drinking, washing, fire, and other work. Roosevelt notes that much of the opposition to the bill as a whole comes from power companies, and ultimately recommends that the bill be passed without a prohibition on using the water for irrigation, but with a prohibition against the city selling water rights to corporations or individuals for the purpose of subletting it for irrigation purposes.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-06-25
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Hitchcock, Ethan Allen, 1835-1909
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 Ethan Allen Hitchcock. [June 25, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195885. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ethan Allen Hitchcock. [25 Jun. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 23, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195885.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1906, June 25]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ethan Allen Hitchcock.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195885.
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. January 23, 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.
