Campaign promises

Arthur T. Morse wrote Theodore Roosevelt during his presidency and has decided to write again regarding William H. Taft. Morse feels the Republican Party accepted Taft’s platform at the last Republican National Convention, but as soon as Taft was inaugurated, he changed course. The nomination of 1912 is between Taft and Robert M. La Follette, and unless there is a deadlock and the party turns to him, Roosevelt needs to stay out of the game and not make the same mistake he made in the last election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-16

Gifford Pinchot reflects on the conservation record of the Woodrow Wilson administration in this open letter. Pinchot believes that because Wilson refused to take sides, or took the wrong side, the question of the people winning in the Shields and Myers waterpower bills and the Phelan oil bill is questionable. It is not possible to compromise with men who would use public resources for private profit.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1916-09-20

In an essay on politics and politicians, Theodore Roosevelt argues that politicians should not promise voters what they know to be impossible to achieve; they should only promise what they know can be achieved in the political system, and they should then strive to fulfill these realizable promises through practical politics. Roosevelt also asserts that compromise is often needed to secure the passage of legislation and that compromise should not be sneered at by politicians.

Three political cartoons depicting Roosevelt in 1884, 1889, and 1912 illustrate the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

In an essay on politics and politicians, Theodore Roosevelt argues that politicians should not promise voters what they know to be impossible to achieve; they should only promise what they know can be achieved in the political system, and they should then strive to fulfill these realizable promises through practical politics. Roosevelt also asserts that compromise is often needed to secure the passage of legislation and that compromise should not be sneered at by politicians. A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears on the second page of the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1900-07-28

This excerpt from Guglielmo Ferrero’s work Greatness and Decline of Rome describes an episode in which Catiline is standing as a candidate for the Consulship, and courts popularity by making promises to the crowd. Ferrero compares Catiline, in this, to William Jennings Bryan advocating the silver standard.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-20

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Granville Fortescue to assure him that he is doing his best to make national service a major issue in the campaign. Roosevelt encourages Fortescue to also send the issue to Leonard Wood.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1916-05-27

William Jennings Bryan and James K. Jones dig up a grave labeled, “16 [to] 1 Free Silver. Politely executed by a large and enthusiastic body of voters Nov. 1896.” Other tombstones in the cemetery are labeled with other political issues that have failed. Caption: “They think they can put new life into a very dead issue.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1897-12-01