Letter from William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Civil service reform, Civil service--Political activity, Railroads and state
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William Jennings Bryan returns President Roosevelt’s attention to a topic on which they had previously had a cursory discussion: civil service appointments. Bryan contrasts the bipartisan principle of civil service appointments with the non-partisan one because he feels that civil service employees are currently afraid to have political opinions, especially those contrary to the present administration. He suggests that the government should instead encourage political activity among civil servants as it does with all citizens. Bryan urges that this issue will become even more important as cities move toward municipal ownership and that it will be “absolutely necessary” in the event that railroads become publicly owned.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1905-02-04
Creator(s)
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
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 William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt. [February 4, 1905]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o48676. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925. Letter from William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt. [4 Feb. 1905]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o48676.
APA:
Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925., [1905, February 4]. Letter from William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o48676.
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 13, 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.
