Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Gurney Cannon

President Roosevelt writes to Joseph Gurney Cannon, Chairman of the Notification Committee, to formally accept his nomination as the Republican presidential candidate and to approve the platform adopted by the Republican National Convention. In the letter, Roosevelt provides a comprehensive defense of his foreign and domestic policies and outlines what he believes are the major differences between the Republican and Democratic parties in the upcoming election. Roosevelt discusses, among other topics, his position on international relations, antitrust legislation, tariffs, the gold standard, pensions for Civil War veterans, the military, civil service, commerce, agriculture, taxation, and self-government in the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-12

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward G. Riggs

President Roosevelt sends reporter Edward G. Riggs a letter that was sent to him by former President Grover Cleveland about the Anthracite Coal Strike. Roosevelt emphasizes Cleveland’s endorsement of a pamphlet that urged Roosevelt to confiscate the operators’ property.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-02

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lyman Abbott

President Roosevelt thanks Dr. Abbott for making clear his point of view. As is often the case when people share a common end while differing over the means, their differences seem to be in terminology more than substance. Roosevelt agrees with Abbott’s policy and is responding to revelations of peonage in Mississippi, working through a district attorney and marshal who are “decent democrats.” Roosevelt has no idea how the election results will turn out, and though he believes he and his principles will triumph, he would not be ungrateful to the American public if he were to lose.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Benjamin B. Odell

President Roosevelt has sent Governor Odell’s letter to George B. Cortelyou regarding H. B. Smith. Roosevelt will follow Odell’s suggestion and send for Samuel Decker Coykendall and Brackett and asks Odell to “make it all right” with Gilbert D. B. Hasbrouck that he is sending for Coykendall. Roosevelt also thanks Odell for his notes on Roosevelt’s speech and will try to work in what he suggests about the Isthmian Canal Commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Francis E. Leupp

President Roosevelt thanks Francis E. Leupp for the clipping and notes that their views about Alton B. Parker align. Roosevelt asks that when Leupp speaks of Roosevelt’s actions he do so in comparison with those of Grover Cleveland and of Parker.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Nicholas Murray Butler

President Roosevelt wishes for Nicholas Murray Butler to visit and concurs that William J. Calhoun is worthy of esteem. Roosevelt comments at length on an article in Collier’s Weekly, one he assumes was written by Norman Hapgood, and desires Butler to “know the exact facts.” On careful reading, Roosevelt believes the article was written with malicious intent due to its numerous falsehoods regarding the construction projects at the Capitol and the White House, the hiring of the architects completing these jobs, appointments of others to government posts, and other matters. In his explanation, Roosevelt makes analogies to many political situations, past and present.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Reeve Merritt

President Roosevelt would be pleased to meet Mr. Viljoen. He would like to speak with E. Reeve Merritt regarding the “pension business.” The service pension previously passed for Mexican War veterans is a strong analogy and “chief trouble.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-02-01

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt were comforted by William Emlen Roosevelt’s letter. It is sad that Aunt Lizzie is not recovering faster. The pension issue continues to create problems for Roosevelt but he still hopes to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-02-01

Letter from Algernon Edward Sartoris to Theodore Roosevelt

Algernon Edward Sartoris informs President Roosevelt that Sartoris is now the father of a baby boy and his wife is doing well. He urges Roosevelt to run for a third term, deeming the practice of holding office for merely two terms “absurd in these days.” Due to Roosevelt’s established record, Sartoris feels he is the choice of the healthy young Republicans and of many Democrats of the Cleveland School. While in Paris, Sartoris met Roosevelt’s daughter, presumably Alice Roosevelt Longworth, whose impression he found pleasant.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister

President Roosevelt agrees with Owen Wister’s thoughts. Roosevelt is grateful to the American people even though he has had a great deal of work as president. Roosevelt notes his cabinet has been a huge support to him and is glad he owed the election to “Abraham Lincoln’s ‘plain people.'” The president expresses his frustration with certain journalists and newspapers who criticize Roosevelt about having too close of a connection with “the wicked” but who ignored Alton B. Parker’s “hand-in-glove intimacy” with James J. Hill, William F. Sheehan, and Thomas Taggart. Roosevelt acknowledges he has made mistakes, but many of the criticisms leveled at him are due to ignorance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lyman Abbott

President Roosevelt wants to keep Senator Hanna and his forces in line with the party but Hanna’s Southern policy and racial views are at odds with Roosevelt’s. With Tammany Hall’s victory in New York, Roosevelt believes that the logical candidate for the Democrats is Grover Cleveland. Roosevelt respects Cleveland but views him as an unconscious ally of Wall Street who can only understand the corporation attitude.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-05

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Florence Bayard Lockwood La Farge

President Roosevelt thinks that the Republican Party is still in good shape, even after disappointing defeats in Maryland and New York City. Roosevelt’s personal fortunes are more in question as he is opposed by the “corrupt crowd of wealthy men in Wall Street” who will support Marcus Alonzo Hanna, Arthur P. Gorman, or Grover Cleveland in order to defeat him. However, Roosevelt is most interested in the “larger standpoint of national well-being.” He dislikes that Gorman won by appealing to “the basest race prejudice” and notes that while in office, he has appointed more men of color in the South than any other president, Republican or Democrat.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-05

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lyman Abbott

President Roosevelt describes to Lyman Abbott a recent meeting with Episcopal bishops and clergy, including two African Americans. The two men were received without incident, and Roosevelt finds it odd that he could have these men in the White House without a problem but inspires controversy for dining with Booker T. Washington or appointing an African American in the South. While President, Roosevelt does not recall ever scolding the South, but he feels it would be worse to “let them think that they were blameless.” He also notes that Senator Arthur P. Gorman of Maryland is campaigning “largely on the race issue,” even distributing a campaign button depicting Roosevelt dining with Washington. Gorman has also denounced Roosevelt as “against the business interests,” which leads Roosevelt to believe that the Rockefellers back Gorman as they do mayoral candidate George B. McClellan in New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Watson Gilder

President Roosevelt calls Richard Watson Gilder’s attention to an article in the Sun which attacks Seth Low for his supposed improper favoring of the labor unions. Roosevelt believes that the article is actually complaining that Low would not improperly favor corporations. Roosevelt also complains to Gilder about a recent article in Century magazine which criticizes his actions in settling the Anthracite Coal Strike. He views these articles as part of a concerted effort from “Wall Street people” to discredit Low and himself.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-04

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-09-15

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Vezin

President Roosevelt agrees with Charles Vezin that there is no difference between public and private dishonesty. Roosevelt provides a recent example of a wealthy and respected business man who would have preferred to settle the Anthracite Coal Strike with bribery rather then the formalized settlement which was achieved.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-09-10

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George B. Cortelyou

The Sun is “hammering away” on President Roosevelt’s acceptance of special trains for traveling around the country. Roosevelt believes that Presidents William McKinley and Grover Cleveland also accepted special trains and asks Secretary of Commerce and Labor Cortelyou if proof can be found.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Leonard Wood

President Roosevelt believes they will get through the matter all right, because Republicans will not want to oppose the most likely candidate for next year’s presidential election. Roosevelt asks if Leonard Wood would feel comfortable writing to Grover Cleveland on the matter. Finally, General Miles’s efforts to harm Wood will fail because President Roosevelt has located previous recommendations favoring Wood from Miles, these recommendations will be revealed at an opportune time.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elon Rouse Brown

Senator Brown’s letter has concerned President Roosevelt but nothing can be done because Charles P. McClelland has already accepted the position.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George B. Cortelyou

President Roosevelt is concerned that he has two potential speaking engagements with former President Cleveland. Roosevelt does not want it to appear that he is having a “joint debate” with Cleveland but he does not want to turn down one speech and make it appear that he is avoiding Cleveland. Roosevelt would like George B. Cortelyou’s advice.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-04