Catholics--Political activity

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard V. Oulahan

President Roosevelt encloses for Richard V. Oulahan an example of the statements being made against William H. Taft, alleging that he dislikes Catholics. Roosevelt notes that Taft has always been “fair and square” to Catholics and believes that the attacks are because Taft is a Universalist. He thinks that men like Ernest Harvier and Michael Walsh should work to make Catholic laymen aware of the attacks made on Taft by William Jennings Bryan’s campaign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from William Michael Byrne to William Loeb

William Michael Byrne writes to William Loeb to provide statistics on the Catholic population of New York state and offer his estimate of how many Catholic votes will go to President Roosevelt in the upcoming election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-29

Creator(s)

Byrne, William Michael, 1867-1920

More powerful than the president of the United States

This article reports that the adjutant-general at Manila has recognized diplomatic representatives from the Vatican and Roman Catholic Church in Manila without having the proper authority to do so. The article discusses this action with relation to the United States’ policy of separation of church and state. There is also an editorial note on Francis E. Leupp’s The Man Roosevelt: A Portrait Sketch.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-20

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James C. Martin

President Roosevelt responds to the issue of whether a candidate’s religious affiliation should influence a political election. He has received many letters on this topic, and chooses to respond broadly to James C. Martin’s. Roosevelt believes that a candidate’s religion is a personal matter that constituents do not have a right to know, and that it goes against American principles for people to vote based on religious affiliation. This is a condensed version of a longer letter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to C. P. Connolly

Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt appreciated C. P. Connolly’s letter about his article. He agrees that it is ridiculous to condemn an entire class of people based on the misdeeds of a few. He cites examples of his working with people from various backgrounds as an assemblyman in New York. As Civil Service Commissioner, he equally supports Catholics and Protestants.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1894-04-11

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James F. Tracey

President Roosevelt appreciates the service of Judge Tracey. Roosevelt approves of Tracey appointing Catholics to positions in the Philippines. In fact, one reason Filipino Governor Forbes was appointed to his position was because he was Catholic.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James C. Martin

President Roosevelt responds to James C. Martin’s letter expressing concerns about William H. Taft’s religious views. First, Roosevelt refutes Martin’s concern about Taft being a Unitarian by pointing out that Americans should not vote for a man based solely on his religious beliefs. Second, Roosevelt addresses concerns that Taft’s wife and brother are Catholics by pointing out that they are not. Roosevelt believes that if America is to last, people of different religious creeds will have to work together in government.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Eugene A. Philbin

President Roosevelt corrects Eugene A. Philbin on a sentence in his letter regarding the administration’s treatment of Catholics in Puerto Rico. Catholics in the administration in Puerto Rico say that they are being treated fairly, and Roosevelt objects to the assertion that on a national level they are treated unfairly. He notes that Catholics often seek political appointments and promotions on the grounds that they are Catholic more often than other groups.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-15

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Timothy L. Woodruff

President Roosevelt details various strategies for the Republican candidates in the upcoming elections in New York to Lieutenant Governor of New York and New York Republican State Committee Chairman Woodruff. Roosevelt believes William Randolph Hearst will carry votes in Upstate New York, therefore the focus should not be only on the cities.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-04

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Oscar S. Straus

President Roosevelt enjoyed Lebowich’s article, and wishes he had been amongst the Harvard men in Roosevelt’s regiment. Roosevelt agrees with Lebowich that he attempts to treat Jews and Catholics as he does Protestants; Roosevelt believes that in the future there will inevitably be Jewish and Catholic presidents and, thus, hopes that he treats them as he would want to be treated by a Jewish or Catholic president, i.e., “without regards to the several creeds which they profess or the several lands from which their ancestors have sprung.” Roosevelt tries not to be patronizing or condescending, and appreciates that Lebowich noticed that.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-15

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from William Roscoe Thayer to Theodore Roosevelt

William Roscoe Thayer tells Theodore Roosevelt that he is trying to be nonsectarian and not criticize any individual religion. However, he objects to giving money to causes that will benefit one particular sect, which he thinks goes against the religious principles of the country.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-05

Creator(s)

Thayer, William Roscoe, 1859-1923

Letter from Eugene A. Philbin to Theodore Roosevelt

Eugene A. Philbin showed President Roosevelt’s letter to Archbishop John M. Farley, who agrees with Roosevelt’s reasons for not sending a congratulatory message to Pope Pius X. Philbin also comments on an open letter to Roosevelt from some Protestant clergymen, in which the writers do not seem to understand the relationship between Catholics and the Pope. The relationship is a purely spiritual one. Catholics believe that Church and State should be separate, and would not allow their religious beliefs dictate their actions in public life.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-16

Creator(s)

Philbin, Eugene A. (Eugene Ambrose), 1857-1920

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

President-Elect Taft thanks President Roosevelt for his support during the presidential campaign, and reflects on the results of the election and the implications of various results. In particular, strange ballot laws and the liquor question impacted the vote in different states. Taft believes that now his challenge is to prevent Representative Joseph Gurney Cannon from being elected Speaker of the House. He would like to meet with Roosevelt to discuss the plan to deal with Cannon, as well as how to fill the vacant Senate seat for New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-07

Creator(s)

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

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte writes to President Roosevelt that he was approached by a reporter from the Baltimore American with insider information relating the impending Electrical Combine investigation. He suspects Noble of being the leak, embellishing the political machinations behind the suit. Bonaparte also encloses two statements wherein Albert A. Richards, assistant attorney to the Department of Justice, defends himself against accusations. Bonaparte suggests circulating the socialist paper Appeal to Reason to prominent catholics as a political tactic, and notes that Leslie M. Shaw is in low spirits. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-19

Creator(s)

Bonaparte, Charles J. (Charles Joseph), 1851-1921

Letter from Sebastian G. Messmer to Maurice Francis Egan

Archbishop Messmer thanks Maurice Francis Egan for his letter, which gave him clarity about the complaints he has received about James Francis Smith, Governor-General of the Philippines. While Messmer believes that Catholics should fight for their rights when they are deprived them, he believes that some of their complaints from the Philippines are unfounded. Messmer greatly praises President Roosevelt and comments on Alice Roosevelt’s upcoming wedding.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-02-10

Creator(s)

Messmer, Sebastian G. (Sebastian Gebhard), 1847-1930

Letter from T. St. John Gaffney to Theodore Roosevelt

T. St. John Gaffney would like to visit President Roosevelt soon along with John Roche and Reverend Francis H. Wall. Gaffney heard support for Roosevelt expressed by the Irish Catholic priests of his acquaintance. Gaffney also mentions a pamphlet he is working on consisting of extracts from Roosevelt’s writings and speeches.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-25

Creator(s)

Gaffney, T. St. John (Thomas St. John), 1864-1945

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James C. Martin

Following the election of William H. Taft, President Roosevelt responds to the issue of whether a candidate’s religious affiliation should influence a political election. This copy of his letter to James C. Martin shows his edits, condensing the text to address the central question.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James C. Martin

Following William H. Taft’s election as president, President Roosevelt responds to James C. Martin’s letter stating that many voters would not support Taft because of his Unitarian religion and perceived sympathy with Catholics. Roosevelt takes the opportunity to broadly state that he believes that the faith of political candidates is a personal matter that voters should not take into account. He believes that voting for candidates based on their religion violates the principles of religious freedom that America is founded upon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Why they prefer Roosevelt

Prominent Catholics who claim to be Democrats support President Roosevelt because of his commitment to the separation of church and state, and stated desire to nominate men to office based on their merits, rather than their religion.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-30

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from James Augustine McFaul to Eugene A. Philbin

Bishop McFaul would like Eugene A. Philbin to assure President Roosevelt of the good will of the American Federation of Catholic Societies. McFaul favors a public school system in the Philippines but wanted it to be adapted to the Catholic majority with religion as part of the curriculum. He also believes that the friar question would have resolved itself without government intervention.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-08-20

Creator(s)

McFaul, James Augustine, 1850-1917