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Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou is glad to go over his statement about the actions of Department of the Treasury with President Roosevelt. The resolution passed by the Senate Committee will be an opportunity for Cortelyou to submit a full and comprehensive report, which he knows is of great importance.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-12-14
John Revelstoke Rathom informs President Roosevelt of the political corruption in Rhode Island and the misuse of Roosevelt’s name in the campaigns for re-election. Rathom reports that Indiana Senator Beveridge was so pressured to state that he was Roosevelt’s personal spokesman that at the last minute he decided not to visit Rhode Island. Rathom would not bother Roosevelt if he did not view this as a question of honor rather than politics.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-22
William Emlen Roosevelt has received President Roosevelt’s letter, with Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw’s enclosure. Emlen believes that in the President’s position he would sign the bill also, but feels it will prevent them getting the bill right in the next session. He believes that the bill needs more work and it is “discouraging to see legislation by people who are ignorant of the results of what they do.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-25
Nicholas Murray Butler writes to President Roosevelt about an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. Butler also mentions the senior senator from Rhode Island, most likely referring to Nelson W. Aldrich.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-02-27
Francis E. Leupp, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, writes to President Roosevelt regarding a summary of the Indian Contract School, based on a conversation with Senator Nelson W. Aldrich. Leupp hopes that the Bureau of Catholic Missions will believe in his “fairness and charity as heartily as it expects [him] to believe in its own.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01-26
Senator Beveridge writes to President Roosevelt regarding Japanese-Russian relations. Beveridge suggests Roosevelt meet personally with Senator Orville Hitchcock Platt to discuss the situation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905
George Alfred Townsend comments on the condition of the American book industry, saying that they have “been made bricks without straw by the news companies affiliated with the railroads.” Townsend also comments on the railroad rate bill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-06
Leslie M. Shaw writes to President Roosevelt to discuss relationships with Germany and Roosevelt’s actions concerning reciprocal trade agreements.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-16
Senator Crane agrees with President Roosevelt that he should not express any views on tariff revision until he knows where he stands. He also suggests that Senator Aldrich would be a great resource on the issue.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-07
Writing from Chicago, Vice President Fairbanks assures President Roosevelt of victory in Indiana. Fairbanks also briefs Roosevelt on his upcoming schedule and a meeting between their wives.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-14
Senator Platt expresses his regrets to President Roosevelt that he was unable to visit Oyster Bay, New York. He is confident that Roosevelt will win the election.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-23
Acting Secretary of the Treasury Taylor received a memo regarding the change in customs stamps on cigars. The only change is that the stamps are slightly smaller. Senator Nelson W. Aldrich said he was pleased with the change.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-14
Winthrop Murray Crane believes Chairman Cortelyou is handling the situation well. Crane mentions Robert Bacon and Senator Aldrich.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-12
Secretary of the Treasury Shaw reports that during the last session of Congress, Senator Nelson W. Aldrich argued that the secretary of the treasury has the authority to purchase silver for subsidiary coinage. Shaw discusses the merit of this claim. He believes this issue is not related to the purchase of silver for coinage into standard dollars. Unlike Ebenezer J. Hill, Shaw does not think the subject should be made an issue in the campaign.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-03
President of the Women’s National Republican Association Foster writes to President Roosevelt about the proposed reorganization of the National Committee of the Republican Party. Foster is impressed with the idea of sub-chairmen. Foster suggests boundaries of the sections and nominates the following: Senators Aldrich, Scott, Spooner, and Warren to be the section chiefs; Senator Lodge to be the chairman of the committee; and Congressman Babcock to head the Congressional Committee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-04
Susan Dunn examines Theodore Roosevelt’s policy positions during and after his presidency and asks whether Roosevelt was a cautious conservative or a radical progressive. Dunn emphasizes that Roosevelt often made it difficult for others to determine his stance because of his muddled language, but she asserts that Roosevelt was constrained by the need to work with others in the Republican party and by the Constitution which, with its checks and balances, limited the power of the president. Dunn notes that some of Roosevelt’s stances, favoring an inheritance tax and the review of judicial decisions, cost him the support of friends and colleagues such as Henry Cabot Lodge. Dunn labels Roosevelt “a bold, courageous leader” who achieved much despite the need to compromise with his party and the Constitution.
Seven photographs of Roosevelt from 1875, 1880, 1899, 1901, 1910, and 1914 illustrate the article.
The Chicago Tribune continues their series of dispatches on President William Howard Taft’s campaign in the midwestern states. In this article, they focus on public opinion of Taft in Peoria, Illinois. Most Republican voters in Peoria are dissatisfied with the President, due in large part to his friendly relationships with Nelson W. Aldrich and Illinois politicians Joseph Gurney Cannon and William Lorimer.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-24
A staff correspondent for the Chicago Tribune reports on President William Howard Taft’s recent visit to Kansas. Governor Walter R. Stubbs honored the president and accompanied him everywhere. Taft made friends with his smile and good humor, but there does not appear to be much change in political opinion after Taft’s visit. Many Progressives do not agree with his recent actions and policies as President such as the Payne-Aldrich tariff law, vetoing the wool, cotton, and farmer free list bill, and his Canadian reciprocity treaty. There is much opposition to Taft in Kansas, but it is not clear who else might have the vote in Kansas, perhaps Robert M. La Follette, Woodrow Wilson, or Albert Baird Cummins.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-29
The article describes a speech on the Senator floor, in which Senator Robert M. La Follette attacked President William H. Taft for ignoring former president Theodore Roosevelt’s policies. La Follette argued that Taft was elected by promising to continue Roosevelt’s agenda, but has not done that. In particular Taft took issue with the firing of Gifford Pinchot, the reciprocity bill, and the Taft administration’s railroad legislation. He also noted that Taft barely mentioned Roosevelt in his first message to Congress.
The article includes underlines and comments from Mary E. Wiswell, who mailed the clipping to Theodore Roosevelt.
Following a number of legislative items, including voting on an amendment to a bill and a motion to investigate participation in international expositions, Senator Robert M. La Follette delivers a speech beginning with proposed tariff reciprocity with Canada, but quickly turning to his view that President William H. Taft has abandoned his campaign promises to continue the progressive policies of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. La Follette excoriates Taft on his stances on taxes and conservation, among other issues.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-07-15