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In accordance with the reasons set out in a previous letter from the United States Civil Service Commission, President Roosevelt approves the action of the commission regarding people who are deaf and mute, and directs that copies of this letter be sent to the petitioners.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-29
President Roosevelt has received Walter C. Witherbee’s letter. As Witherbee’s term of service as Collector of Customs for the district of Champlain comes to a close, Roosevelt thanks him again for his integrity and quality of service. Roosevelt also mentions the recent visit of Witherbee’s relative, Frank S. Witherbee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-16
President Roosevelt returns several papers relating to the position of deputy collector and inspector of customs at Stamford, Connecticut, to the Civil Service Commission. Roosevelt refers the Commission to a letter from Acting Secretary of the Treasury James Burton Reynolds, suggesting that an exception should be made for the good of the service, but also feels that the position should either be taken off of the competitive list or limited only to people living in Stamford. He asks for the Commission’s advice regarding this matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-19
President Roosevelt tells William Dudley Foulke that the statement that he has tried to influence the presidential nomination through appointments to state offices is false and malicious. Roosevelt provides a detailed account of appointments he has made in various states as a rebuttal to this accusation. Because there are so many local offices, Roosevelt frequently relies on input from senators, and tries to put the best people in office. The newspapers that have accused him of showing favoritism have either ignored the facts or chosen to not seek them out. Roosevelt gives a particularly thorough look at the appointments he has made in Ohio, the home state of Secretary of War William H. Taft.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-07
President Roosevelt tells Frank S. Butterworth that he did not promise that he would not make any change to the position of Collector of Internal Revenue in Connecticut, but that if Butterworth’s description of Robert O. Eaton’s character was accurate, then Roosevelt would not appoint him and would leave W. Frank Kinney in the position. Roosevelt has since received character references from several people attesting to Eaton’s good character.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-23
President Roosevelt objects to Secretary of the Treasury Shaw about areas of public service being taken away from the Civil Service Commission, as has been done in the case of the Revenue Cutter Service. According to the bill, examinations will be done under regulations set out by the Secretary of the Treasury, and Roosevelt suggests that Shaw direct that the board of officers grading examinations should do so in conjunction with the Civil Service Commission, and following their rules.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-25
President Roosevelt comments on the “grand mix-up” surrounding the dismissal of Augustus H. Price, one of North Carolina’s Assistant United States Attorneys. Roosevelt asks Attorney General Moody to look into the matter, and to report to him on the relative qualifications of Price and his possible replacement, Albert L. Coble. Roosevelt plans to change the internal revenue offices in North Carolina to be part of the civil service, and asks Moody to raise the issue in an upcoming cabinet meeting so Roosevelt can discuss the matter with him and Postmaster General George B. Cortelyou. Roosevelt is also concerned with a matter concerning Comptroller of the Currency William Barret Ridgely. He additionally asks Moody to direct Judge James Wickersham to return to Alaska, as his presence in Washington, D.C., has not helped his confirmation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-21
President Roosevelt sends Senator Carter some letters about Crosby showing why he cannot appoint him. He additionally sends a report about Receiver John E. Lewis at Kalispell, Montana, showing that he should be replaced. Roosevelt asks Carter to return the letter so that he can return it to Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock to give to the Department of Justice.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-01
After talking with George Horace Lorimer, President Roosevelt went back and read The Plum Tree through all the way, after previously having read only half of it. The ending of the book reconciles Roosevelt to many of the problems he had with it throughout, but he still holds many issues with the book which he lays out for Lorimer. The author, David Graham Phillips, falls into the trap of overstating the sort of corruption that is present in politics, and while Roosevelt freely admits that corruption is present–which, he points out, he is working against–there are also many good people working in politics as well. In a postscript of several days later, Roosevelt comments on several of Phillips’s articles on the Senate, in which he acts similarly by taking “certain facts that are true in themselves, and […] ignoring utterly a very much large mass of facts that are just as true and just as important.” Roosevelt criticizes Phillips for working with William Randolph Hearst to achieve notoriety.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-12
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Treasury Shaw if there is an opening for an auditor in his department. Roosevelt is looking for a position for Abraham L. Lawshe, who has been commended as “one of the most efficient men” working in the Philippines by Secretary of State Elihu Root, Secretary of War William H. Taft, and General Leonard Wood.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-27
William Loeb informs Postmaster General Cortelyou that the work that Frank S. Hinrichs was engaged in for the White House is nearly complete, and that he can therefore be transferred back to the Post Office Department the following week. Hinrichs performed efficient and valuable service, and Loeb thanks Cortelyou for allowing the temporary transfer. He hopes to similarly ask for Hinrichs’s loan next social season.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-30
President Roosevelt thanks Senator Penrose for his telegram of congratulations. He reassures him the the report about Secretary of the Navy Charles J. Bonaparte visiting Philadelphia is unfounded. Roosevelt is still considering the matter of Senator Philander C. Knox and William S. Leib, and wishes that Leib would simply resign his office.
The Russian and Japanese delegations to the Portsmouth Peace Conference had recently concluded negotiations, bringing the Russo-Japanese War to an end and prompting many people around the world to congratulate Theodore Roosevelt on his successful mediation. The official treaty would be signed several days later, on September 5, 1905.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-31
As George B. Cortelyou wished, Benjamin F. Barnes has passed along the contents of the letter from Internal Revenue Service Collector Samuel J. Roberts to President Roosevelt, and now returns the letter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-19
President Roosevelt would like to oblige Senator Platt, and will try to delay taking action on the matter Platt wrote to him about until they are able to meet in October. Roosevelt is dissatisfied with the factions present in the Government Printing Office, and is thinking of appointing someone from the western states not associated with either side.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-19
President Roosevelt may decide not to appoint a judge just yet. Although he holds Attorney General William H. Moody in high esteem, Roosevelt reminds Gifford Pinchot that Moody was “hand-in-glove with the Simon people.” Roosevelt has enclosed a letter from W. Sloan Simpson and cautions Pinchot to “not let the civil service people frighten you out of getting really good men.” Homer Davenport can assist with creating favorable public opinion about forest reserves, and Roosevelt would like to see his father appointed to an unnamed position if Pinchot agrees.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-22
President Roosevelt is concerned by former Rough Rider Roy F. Haydon’s letter. He would like to help, but he receives many similar requests, and there is a limit to the number of former Rough Riders he can appoint to government positions. He suggests that Haydon speak to Ben Daniels, another former Rough Rider and U.S. Marshal in Arizona Territory, to see if he can do anything for him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-03
President Roosevelt tells Senator Knox that he wishes he could get someone appointed to Internal Revenue Collector at Pittsburgh in place of Daniel B. Heiner, as he is not filling the role satisfactorily. Roosevelt encloses the last two letters set to Heiner by Commissioner of Internal Revenue John Watson Yerkes.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-03
President Roosevelt reports to Senator Spooner that Commissioner of Internal Revenue John Watson Yerkes is of the opinion that Henry Fink, Collector of Internal Revenue for Milwaukee, is “useless and indeed detrimental in the service,” and should be replaced. He encloses the most recent two letters from Yerkes to Fink for Spooner to read. Roosevelt wished to speak with Spooner before taking action.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-03
President Roosevelt reassures William F. Willoughby that the only reason he would not reappoint him would be Willoughby’s refusal of the position. He will send in his name for reappointment to the Senate as soon as they convene.
William F. Willoughby was serving as Treasurer of Puerto Rico at this time. He would be nominated for reappointment to this position on December 13, 1905, and confirmed by the Senate within several days.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-06
President Roosevelt wants to send a reliable man whom he can trust to Venezuela as minister for several months in order to get a clear picture of the situation there, and asks William J. Calhoun if he would be willing to accept the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-24