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Baron Sternburg relates details of the arrangements for Mr. Littledale’s Alaskan trip. He encloses an article about Russia and speculates on Japanese military ventures, including their actions at Port Arthur. Sternburg also mentions his trip to the South and that he found a map of Manchuria that he made during the “war of 94.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-07-17
Report, prepared under the direction of Secretary of War Taft for President Roosevelt, detailing the policies and administration of the War Department since 1897. The report reviews the growth of the department as a result of the Spanish-American War and argues that the War Department has become essential to the executive office.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-06-18
Senator Platt recommends to President Roosevelt that Herbert G. Squiers, the Minister to Cuba, be selected for the Mexican Ambassadorship since Powell Clayton resigned. Platt discusses Squiers’s many accomplishments.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-06-16
Postcard showing a group of eight Chinese individuals playing various instruments. Charles C. Myers comments on the noise of such bands.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “A Chinese band that can make enough noise and of a fit kind to drive any human being crazy in short order, yet, they call it music. Showing also a Chines[e] postage stamp 4 ¢, worth 2 ¢ of our money.”
Postcard showing a Chinese woman sitting in a rickshaw being pulled by a Chinese man. Dragon motifs are visible in the top corners. Charles C. Myers comments on Chinese women’s use of rickshaws.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Chinese Rickshaw, similar to Japanese Rick-i-sha and used the same. In addition to this the Chinese use the sedan chair, which is a sort of chair with poles attached to it so as two or four men can carry it. This sort of a chair is used to carry fashionable women to their places of worship as their feet are so small and deformed by the use of wooden shoes that they can walk but very little. But for facial expression, I saw some Chinese women that were very good looking all except their eyes.”
James G. Lewis explains how deforestation in China became a central part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s last annual message to Congress in December 1908. Lewis notes that Roosevelt’s conservation efforts had been increasingly thwarted by Congress in the last two years of his administration, and Roosevelt decided that he needed to make a strong case to Congress in his last message. Roosevelt used the example of what had happened to China’s soil, rivers, and climate after massive deforestation had rid many of its mountains of trees and vegetation. Roosevelt relied on evidence, eyewitness accounts, and photographs supplied by Frank Nicholas Meyer and Willis Bailey to emphasize the damage done in China. Lewis notes that Roosevelt was the first president to add photographs to his annual message.
Five photographs appear in the article, including three of deforestation in China, a similar scene from Utah, and one of Meyer.
William Penn Nixon details Mary H. Krout’s career as a member of the Inter-Ocean editorial staff, including her time as a correspondent in the Pacific and London. He attests her work is accurate, and she is “a forcible and brilliant speaker.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-04-25
Gustav J. Karger reviews and praises President William H. Taft’s various achievements during the two years of his administration. By placing “the cause of the people above all other considers,” Karger finds Taft has reached the “heights of constructive statesmanship.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-30
Ambassador Rockhill provides additional information pertinent to efforts to localize the war in the Far East, which would require neutralization of territories that does not seem possible. A statement shared between China and Japan affirms China’s desire to remain neutral, although Rockhill notes that the arrival of neutral forces would disturb the people of China as well as the Imperial Court. The British and German governments do not agree with an interpretation of the 1900 Anglo-German treaty that would allow for the neutralization plan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-02-06
President Roosevelt writes an open letter to the editor of The Outlook commenting on the state of China and on missionary efforts and Christian education there. Roosevelt feels that the American people should support the efforts of missionary groups that are seeking to spread Christianity and Western education in China.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-07
Reports indicate General Pavel I. Mischenko of Russia and his Cossack troops have deliberately invaded neutral territory in China. Because China seems unwilling to enforce its neutrality, it is believed that Japan must protect itself against the Russian raids that violate neutral territory.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01
August Belmont holds a whip as a Republican elephant jumps over a large barrier with slats that read, “Panama Canal,” “coal strike settlement,” “open door in China,” “reciprocity with Cuba,” “curbing of trusts,” “Dept Commerce and Labor,” and “Alaskan boundary decision.” A donkey jumps through the space just above the “curbing of trusts” slat.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-14
This cartoon depicts various components of President Roosevelt’s annual message, including international relations with Colombia, Canada, the Philippines, Turkey, and China; support for Civil War veterans and General Leonard Wood; and “more lighthouses for Hawaii.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-12
President Roosevelt and Secretary of State John Hay hold a “diplomacy” paper and run toward a “Chinese goods contents unknown” barrel, but they are stopped by Uncle Sam’s cane. All of the other barrels are “gun powder” barrels from different countries: “English,” “French,” “German,” “Russia,” among others.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-02-14
William H. Taft packs his suitcase with stamps from “Japan,” “Philippines,” “Cuba,” “Panama,” and “China” as the Republican elephant looks on. On the ground are several books, including Winning the West, and a “time table” and “Taft’s stump itinerary.” On the wall is a picture of Taft giving whistle-stop speech from the back of a train. Taft says, “Well, now I guess I will be at home in this traveling stunt!”
William H. Taft unfortunately was known for his lassitude, frequently falling asleep during his presidency, even during daytime meetings. The cause might have been a variety of narcolepsy, occasioned by his bulk of up to three hundred and forty pounds.
An illustration of President Roosevelt has images and captions in it, including “settlement of the coal strike,” “protection against foreign labor,” “gold standard,” and “U.S. Supreme Court.” Meanwhile, Alton B. Parker is surrounded by Democratic leaders and is tied down by “sugar trust,” “Standard Oil,” and “rail-road franchise” ropes. Caption: Why Parker “Because he is perfectly safe.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-06
President Roosevelt accepts the letter from Ambassador Wu of China, and expresses his sympathy for the recent deaths of Guangxu, Emperor of China, and Cixi, Empress dowager of China. He welcomes Wu as the representative of the newly crowned Puyi, and expresses his hopes for the future stability and success of China
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12
A memorandum outlines the legislative history which designates who is responsible for the administration of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11
This article, identified as a “specimen of the utterances of the ultra element,” was sent to President Roosevelt with a letter on educational and cultural trends in China. The main article presents a translation of a pamphlet that had circulated in China lamenting the current international situation China finds itself in. The author highlights China’s former glory and present weakness, and lays out the steps it will be necessary to take for the preservation of the country and the resumption of strength. The reverse side of the page contains an interview with Japanese Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi, a discussion of Australian trade with China, a report of a robbery in Hongkou, China, and a portion of an article on two new steamships.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-12
Contract between the Isthmian Canal Commission and the International Contracting Company arranging for the hiring, transportation, payment, and care of Chinese laborers to work on the construction of the Panama Canal. The contract sets out how many laborers are to be hired, the wages they will be paid, how they will be transported and managed, and what their living conditions will be, among other factors.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-29