Your TR Source
President Roosevelt believes that Judge James Wickersham is to blame for allowing “such a man” as Andrew Holman to remain commissioner, and asks Attorney General Bonaparte if he agrees.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-05
In accordance with the decision of the Civil Service Commission, William A. Miller will be reinstated at the Government Printing Office. President Roosevelt will withhold his final decision until the investigation of Miller’s second communication is complete. His initial impression is that Miller’s removal violated the law.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-13
President Roosevelt believes that Representative Marshall is in error regarding Marshal Shea’s conduct, which has nothing to do with the civil service law. According to information received by Roosevelt, Shea has acted similarly to other office holders in North Dakota told not to interfere in the Senate contest. Roosevelt requests any evidence of improper conduct.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-17
President Roosevelt has received the various newspaper clippings and editorials that William Dudley Foulke has sent him. He is not concerned with the editorial from the Evening Post, as it is not an important paper, and thinks that it is disingenuous in its support of Charles Evans Hughes. Many of people who Hughes appoints are involved in politics, as are many of Roosevelt’s. Several other papers are similarly dishonest in how they frame their criticisms, and Roosevelt is reluctant to address these statements, especially since, to his mind, he has addressed the issue several years ago in his orders to the Civil Service Commission.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-12
President Roosevelt sends Secretary of the Treasury Shaw some messages from the United States Civil Service Commission, and asks him to direct Internal Revenue Commissioner John Watson Yerkes to instruct Internal Revenue Collector William McCoach to dismiss Clarence Meeser, Deputy Collector of Internal Revenues for Philadelphia, immediately. He also expects Yerkes to investigate cases of this sort on his own initiative in the future without having to turn to the Civil Service Commission.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-20
President Roosevelt believes that it was a mistake for President Cleveland to promise that all offices would be filled according to the principles of civil service reform. Roosevelt discusses the post office investigations and the reclassification of positions. Roosevelt also explains that he would like to see justice done even at the cost of his political ambitions.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-15
President Roosevelt instructs Postmaster General Payne to work with the Civil Service Commission and investigate “letter carriers’ conventions.” Members of the classified service should not go as delegates to conventions or take “offensive political action.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-16
Theodore Roosevelt expresses his confidence and high regard for Crosby Stuart Noyes and Henry B. F. Macfarland based on his professional experience working with them.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-01-02
As directed by a convention of the Railway Postal Clerks of the Thirteenth Division, John Butterworth, President of the organization, writes to Theodore Roosevelt. Butterworth asks Roosevelt to provide an explanation of the conditions which caused him to issue an executive order “prohibiting from Civil Service employees any attempt to influence legislation save through the heads of their several Departments,” and whether he believes this order should still be enforced. Many members of the Railway Mail Service strongly object to this order.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-25
An investigation by the Department of the Interior has yielded a list of some 200 individuals hired to the Technologic Branch of the United States Geological Survey without the certification of the Civil Service Commission. The Commission will comply with the Department of the Interior’s request that these irregularly appointed employees’ certifications be fast-tracked, but expresses several reasons for why such a decision may not be wise.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-14
Henry Francis Ashion, acting Foreman of Binding, responds to accusations that his Democratic partisanship has led him to manufacture material with which to attack the administration of President Roosevelt. Ashion says his “so-called partisanship” has never blinded his eyes to what he honestly believes to be for the good of the country, and he feels Roosevelt’s wishes emanate from a determination to strive for the betterment of the people.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-27
Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte discusses the political situation in Baltimore regarding the vacancy for Deputy Surveyor of Customs and recommends that President Roosevelt leave the position unfilled until after the election and then appoint James Campbell. Bonaparte then discusses the political situation between Clarence C. Pusey, Abraham Lincoln Dryden, and John B. Hanna, recommending that Roosevelt suggest that Pusey wait until November 1st to take office, which would be considerate to William H. Jackson without offending Pusey’s supporters. Bonaparte also discusses whether two ships should make a trip to New Orleans or not.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-10
Civil Service Commissioner Cooley applauds Postmaster Willcox on how he has applied an Executive Order regarding federal employees’ participation in political activities, in the administration of the New York Post Office. When the Civil Service Commission ruled regarding Collin H. Woodward, it simply expressed that Woodward had not violated Civil Service laws. The Commission has no jurisdiction to determine whether Woodward may have violated the Executive Order, to which Willcox has made reference. Cooley finds Woodward’s candidacy for district leadership to be inappropriate and its effect on the civil service demoralizing.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
Civil Service Commissioner Cooley informs President Roosevelt of William R. Willcox’s progress in depoliticizing the New York City Post Office and running it “on a business basis.” However, Willcox faces the challenge of wresting the office from the traditions of its prior administration and the inconsistencies between the rules for post office employees and those of the Treasury Department.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
Collector Phillips Lee Goldsborough writes to Commissioner of Internal Revenue Yerkes requesting an exception to the rule limiting political activity among internal revenue officers. Goldsborough also writes that he is working with four other Republicans on the revision of the Constitution of the Republican Party of Maryland and requests a “reasonable amount of time” to complete the work.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-20
Jacob G. Bunn provides a deposition regarding charges that he solicited money for campaign purposes while employed by the United States Post Office in violation of Civil Service Rules. Bunn denies the allegations that he solicited money, and says that while he had previously served as Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Ward Executive Committee of the Twenty-eighth Ward of Philadelphia, he was unaware that this was a violation of the Civil Service Rules. Once this violation was brought to Bunn’s attention, he immediately resigned from the Ward Executive Committee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-27
New York Collector of Customs Stranahan informs President Roosevelt that Appraiser of Customs George W. Whitehead will be visiting him about an issue of political contributions that has arisen in New York. Stranahan tries to explain the facts of the case, mentioning that a political contribution was solicited by Assistant Appraiser Harvey T. Andrews from an importer. While Stranahan believes this is not an actual violation of Civil Service law, he believes it is improper, and will speak with Andrews.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-19
John Black writes to Thomas McKee concerning the fundraising letter he sent to “The Old Boys’ Fremont and Lincoln Republican Club,” which included the names of federal employees, and was circulated to federal employees. The fundraising letter is in violation of the Civil Service Act. Black requests that McKee send a withdrawal of the fund raising request to all federal employees.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-08
The Indiana Civil Service Reform Association offers a brief history in the development of rules limiting the public political activities that federal office-holders are able to participate in. Several presidents have made declarations on this subject, including President Roosevelt who, while Civil Service Commissioner, commented on drawing a distinction between public servants within the classified service and those outside the classified service. While the association acknowledges these statements, it believes that political activity by office-holders is an abuse and should be reduced further.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02
Newspaper article defending President Roosevelt’s decision in the case of William A. Miller.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-08-06