Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge
Subject(s): Books and reading, Charles Scribner's Sons, Curtin, Andrew Gregg, 1815-1894, Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321, Hampden, John, 1594-1643, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Mirabeau, Honoré-Gabriel de Riqueti, comte de, 1749-1791, Murray, Gilbert, 1866-1957, Presidents--Elections, Presidents--Professional ethics, Presidents--Public opinion, Press and politics, Republican National Convention, Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943, Safaris, Speeches, addresses, etc., Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Timoleon, approximately 411 B.C.-337 B.C., Washington, George, 1732-1799
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President Roosevelt praises Senator Lodge’s speech to the Republican National Convention as one that will certainly go down in history, noting humorously that attacks from the Sun should be considered as the highest praise. What Lodge said was “exactly right,” and “exactly as [Roosevelt] should have wished it.” Roosevelt believes that Presidency is a very powerful office and that power should be used without hesitation, but this requires strict accountability to the people and no one should keep the office too long. After leaving office, Roosevelt is planning a trip to East Africa for a year to hunt and gather scientific specimens for the National Museum at Washington. Scribner’s has offered Roosevelt $50,000 for the serial rights to articles Roosevelt writes during the trip, and while Collier’s offered $100,000, Roosevelt prefers to have the trip sponsored by Scribner’s, as “there is such a thing as making too much money out of a given feat,” even if earned honestly. Roosevelt thinks William H. Taft will win the coming election, unless he makes some kind of hopeless mistake.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-07-19
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
5
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 Henry Cabot Lodge. [July 19, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o203355. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge. [19 Jul. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 6, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o203355.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, July 19]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o203355.
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 6, 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.
