Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Augustus Everett Willson
Subject(s): Bonaparte, Charles J. (Charles Joseph), 1851-1921, Insurrection, Kentucky, Law enforcement--U.S. states, Secret societies
Click on image to zoom in
Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte showed President Roosevelt Governor Willson’s letter, and Roosevelt agrees that the scenario Willson sets forth is grave. Roosevelt believes that free government cannot exist where there is defiance of the law and mob rule, particularly in the case of such secret societies that Willson has mentioned. The first responsibility for policing this sort of criminality lies with the states, Roosevelt says, but if Kentucky is unable to stop the violence and appeals to the federal government, Roosevelt will send federal troops to help.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-03-06
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Willson, Augustus Everett, 1846-1931
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
2
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 Augustus Everett Willson. [March 6, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o201903. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Augustus Everett Willson. [6 Mar. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 27, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o201903.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, March 6]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Augustus Everett Willson.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o201903.
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 27, 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.
