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Letter from August F. Herrmann to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from August F. Herrmann to Theodore Roosevelt

August F. Herrmann encloses a copy of an article recently published in the St. Louis Daily Globe about the proposed reciprocity agreement with Canada and an article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. Herrmann copies a portion of a letter sent to a member of the cabinet, related to the reciprocity agreement and the number of Japanese, Indian, and Chinese immigrants in the Canadian workforce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-22

Creator(s)

Herrman, August F., 1868-1952

Letter from Henry Percival Dodge to Elihu Root

Letter from Henry Percival Dodge to Elihu Root

Henry Percival Dodge acknowledges receipt of Secretary of State Root’s telegram regarding Chinese laborers recently expelled from Japan and confirms his reply. Per Root’s request, Dodge has sent two copies of the Imperial Japanese Ordinance No. 352 of 1899 and the Home Office Notification No. 42. Dodge lists the facts that he knows about the situation and states that most newspapers have reported the facts of the case but little editorial comment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-12

Creator(s)

Dodge, Henry Percival, 1870-1936

Chinese coolies

Chinese coolies

A clipping from the Japan Times reports the Nippon’s conclusion that Japanese workers are leaving Japan for higher wages, leading to a lack of available labor. Chinese laborers will therefore positively impact the labor market, as long as “immoral” activities such as gambling are controlled.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-01

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from Hermann Speck von Sternburg to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Hermann Speck von Sternburg to Theodore Roosevelt

Freiherr Sternburg returns a letter President Roosevelt sent over with Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Sternburg also transcribes portions of a letter from the German Consul in Manila. Consul Grimenwald praises General Leonard Wood’s actions in the Philippines. The diplomat writes that rice and sugar should be grown there and that Chinese agricultural workers will be needed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-04

Creator(s)

Sternburg, Hermann Speck von, Freiherr, 1852-1908

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Theodore P. Shonts

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Theodore P. Shonts

President Roosevelt has several suggestions for Chairman Shonts. While he only saw one or two unhygienic houses, “they were one or two too many,” and he wishes to avoid scandal. He proposes they should obtain some Chinese laborers. The black West Indian workers need a change in their conditions, particularly in their food and personal cleanliness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-11-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Bronson Reynolds and Jeremiah Whipple Jenks

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Bronson Reynolds and Jeremiah Whipple Jenks

President Roosevelt appoints Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Reynolds and Jeremiah Whipple Jenks as representatives to create a full investigation of how “Chinese coolies” have illegally imported into the country. Roosevelt wishes to know if issue is the fault of the Department of Immigration or was beyond its control.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt confirms with Secretary of War Taft that he will ask the Mayflower to be sent to pick up Secretary of State Elihu Root and his family. Regarding the Panama Canal, Roosevelt reiterates that quick and effective construction is his first priority, and that as the current laborers from the West Indies have not been satisfactory, they should try the experiment of hiring Chinese laborers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt has received the letters from both Secretary of War Taft and W. Leon Pepperman of the Office of Administration of Isthmian Canal Affairs regarding the use of Chinese labor for the construction of the canal. Roosevelt emphasizes that his primary belief is that the canal must be constructed, and that therefore that means getting whatever laborers necessary, limited only by “the law of the land and the requirements of morality.” Roosevelt believes this first contract for Chinese laborers does not need to be bid on, as it is only for a small number of laborers and is “in the nature of an experiment,” but if there need to be further contracts then such contracts should be advertised for bids.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from John A. Sleicher to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from John A. Sleicher to Theodore Roosevelt

John A. Sleicher is grateful for President Roosevelt’s message to his daughter, and he discusses the possibility of Frank Wayland Higgins being nominated for Governor. Sleicher notes that Chinese laborers are being used for the construction of the Panama Canal, and he suggests the possibility that Filipinos might be used instead.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-28

Creator(s)

Sleicher, John A. (John Albert), 1848-1921

Extract of a letter from Theodore P. Shonts to John F. Stevens

Extract of a letter from Theodore P. Shonts to John F. Stevens

Chairman Theodore P. Shonts informs Chief Engineer John F. Stevens that President Roosevelt approved of their plan for contracting the work on the Panama Canal, and Shonts will be going to La Malbaie, Québec, Canada, to confer with Secretary of War William H. Taft about it. Shonts and Richard Reid Rogers, the Canal Commission’s general counsel, are working on the request for proposals, and Shonts will send it to Stevens when it is ready for his input. Shonts also writes that they submitted the proposals for Chinese laborers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-22

Creator(s)

Shonts, Theodore P. (Theodore Perry), 1856-1919

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft is glad that President Roosevelt decided to pursue the course of hiring Chinese laborers for work on the Panama Canal. It may not be necessary to advertise the positions, as there have been a number inquiries, from which it may already be possible invite proposals, but Taft will confer with W. Leon Pepperman and Theodore P. Shonts, of the Isthmian Canal Commission, on the matter. Taft is annoyed by the situation in the War Department relating to the eight hour law. He believes it may appear to outsiders to be a way to win votes from the labor movement, although Taft and Roosevelt both know that it is simply a necessity of enforcing the law, where it had previously been avoided.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-01

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft discusses the process of hiring labor for the Panama canal project. Taft believes that they can hire Chinese labor, and he prefers workers from China over locals and the Caribbean in general. Taft also believes they should not let any contracts before they receive all bids and that if they start advertising now, they can bring over the first wave of workers from China. Taft estimates that they need no more than 2,500 men but should leave room in the contract for more if need arises. John F. Stevens also believes they should employ workers from a variety of places, including Spain, in case they end up having problems with one particular group. They will begin once he hears back from President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-27

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930