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Samuel V. Leech assures Theodore Roosevelt he will abide by his decision not to be a candidate for 1912. With the nomination, President William H. Taft will carry the Republican Party to defeat. Leech discusses Taft’s various failures.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-08-08
President-Elect Taft thinks he might have told Timothy L. Woodruff too much in regards to his plan to keep William Loeb as his secretary for a short time after his inauguration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-22
William H. Taft humbly thanks William Nelson Cromwell for his generous donation to Taft’s election campaign, but cannot accept it. Taft reminds Cromwell that while he has no doubt of Cromwell’s disinterested support, such a large donation would be a liability to the campaign, and would limit the two to only friendly, non-official relations in the future due to the appearance, however unfounded, of impropriety.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-06
William H. Taft has enclosed a copy of a letter he sent to William Nelson Cromwell, and hopes President Roosevelt will approve of the action he took.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-07
William H. Taft discusses various political topics with President Roosevelt, including the nominations for governors of New York and West Virginia, a substantial campaign contribution from George Cromwell, William Jennings Bryan’s upcoming acceptance speech for Democratic nominee for president, and Secretary of State Elihu Root’s upcoming speech at the New York State Republican Convention.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-10
William H. Taft asks President Roosevelt’s advice regarding his acceptance speech. He is concerned about some of the ideas that William Jennings Bryan adopted in the Democratic Party platform, particularly the government guarantee of bank deposits. Taft feels that such guarantees are wrong in principle, but he does not want to take a stand without consulting with party leaders.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-15
Admiral Dewey, President of the General Board of the Department of the Navy, provides a response for Secretary of the Navy Metcalf regarding President Roosevelt’s questions about the choice of Subig Bay as a naval base in the Philippines. Subig Bay had previously been evaluated by the General Board and selected as a better site for the construction of a naval base than Manila Bay. The General Board acknowledges the Army’s point that Subig Bay would be difficult to defend from the land side, and asks that the Army study the issue further with regard to plans for permanent fortifications.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-18
Governor-General of the Philippines Smith provides his analysis of the upcoming formal establishment of the Philippine Assembly to Secretary of War Taft. This includes a brief description of the history and political affiliations of the country’s governors, the party leanings of each province, and the number of votes for each party from the most recent election. Smith also reflects on how the United States can improve upon Spain to ensure better relations with the Philippines. Smith considers self-government to be the ultimate goal of American involvement in the Philippines, but cautions that granting independence too quickly could leave the country vulnerable to dictatorships or foreign invasion. Smith ends the letter with a report on the status of various government projects across the country.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-10-07
On behalf of his father, Ernest Hamlin Abbott thanks President Roosevelt for his attention to his father’s suggestions for religious facilities and appropriations to hire clergymen at the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy. Abbott returns several documents to President Roosevelt’s secretary.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-27