Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Banks and banking, American, Cadwalader, John L. (John Lambert), 1836-1914, Chicago and Alton Railroad Company, Chicago and North Western Railway Company, Crisis management, Financial crises--Prevention, Hollins, Harry Bowly, 1854-1938, Hughitt, Marvin, 1837-1928, McCrea, James, 1848-1913, Mellen, Charles S. (Charles Sanger), 1851-1927, Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont), 1837-1913, Newman, William H., 1847-1918, Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument Association of the United States, Railroad companies--Corrupt practices, Railroad companies--Finance, Taft, Henry W. (Henry Waters), 1859-1945
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Secretary of War Taft reviews the history of a proposed meeting between President Roosevelt and representatives of railroad interests. Banker Harry Bowly Hollins, being “fearful of a financial panic through the country,” believed that public confidence could be restored by President Roosevelt meeting with representatives of the railroads about their adherence to the Rate Bill. At first, it was thought the meeting should be with railroad presidents, but subsequently, a meeting with J. Pierpont Morgan was deemed to be better. Having discussed the proposal with Roosevelt, Taft relayed the latter’s doubts about the usefulness of such a meeting, but that he was willing to meet with Morgan, as long as everyone understood it was not at his request.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-03-11
Creator(s)
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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 William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt. [March 11, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55652. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930. Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt. [11 Mar. 1907]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55652.
APA:
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930., [1907, March 11]. Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o55652.
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. March 12, 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.
