Borden, Alfred, 1875-1949

Theodore Roosevelt answers the three questions Alfred Borden posed regarding his political record. Roosevelt did not deal with the question of the tariff because he was attempting to take care of the trusts, does not feel that the cases of William Lorimer and George Barnsdale Cox are in any way comparable, and has not generalized the entirety of Wall Street as dishonest in any speech he has made. After making these points, Roosevelt writes more candidly in a postscript, criticizing Borden’s points as being ridiculous, and saying that if he took the time to find out the facts he would realize this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-10-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Borden, Alfred, 1875-1949

Theodore Roosevelt attempts to answer Alfred Borden’s questions, but admits that it is somewhat difficult to do so without seeming to be rude or condescending, as they seem to be fairly basic questions. He explains that, while President, he did not attempt to deal with the Tariff question because he was focused on a number of other topics he considered more important, and he worried that by splitting his efforts further, he would achieve less. Regarding his relations with Senator William Lorimer and Ohio political boss George Barnsdale Cox, Roosevelt explains that when he did not know anything about Lorimer, he treated him just as he did Cox, with both being political bosses of their respective states. Once the scandal surrounding Lorimer began to be exposed as he assumed a position in the legislature, it necessarily had to change how Roosevelt related to him. Finally, Roosevelt denies having ever painted the entirety of Wall Street as dishonest men, and maintains that he has always been in favor of the honest businessman. He hopes, in answering Borden, he did not hurt his feelings, but strove to write candidly and honestly answer his questions.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-11-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919