Constitutional amendments

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft is happy to be the first to receive a letter from President Roosevelt using the new simplified spelling standards, although he does not notice much difference between the standards. Mrs. Taft does not want to join the party going to Panama, mostly because she does not want to travel on a naval vessel and the Taft children are busy with school. However, if two ships leave and Mrs. Roosevelt is on another ship, Mrs. Taft would reconsider, since there would be room on the battleships for one lady each. Taft comments on Theodore P. Shonts and the Isthmian Committee, William Jennings Bryan’s arrival in New York City, the attempt to nullify the 14th and 15th amendments in Georgia, and other domestic matters. He has also ordered Charles Edward Magoon to stay in Panama until the arrive of Elihu Root.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-31

Letter from William H. Moody to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Moody has read the correspondence with Norman Hapgood and returned it to William Loeb. Moody retains the correspondence with Judge Jones so that he may examine Jones’ views critically, as he feels Jones’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment is wrong. Moody hopes President Roosevelt will not commit in his message to legislation which will ultimately be pronounced unconstitutional. Moody also asks Roosevelt when he feels it will be most appropriate to make a public announcement about Moody’s departure from the Cabinet.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-27

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft returns to President Roosevelt the letters from White and William H. Fleming. Taft does not think there is anything to do about the charges against General Leonard Wood, which he considers largely untrue and slanderous. Taft read Fleming’s letter, and is surprised Thomas W. Hardwick could have been elected to Congress. There is no need to dignify Hardwick’s statements about repealing the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, which granted citizenship and voting rights to African Americans, as he “writes himself down an ass.” Taft tells Roosevelt that he is welcome to discuss the plan with Congressman Joseph Gurney Cannon. In a postscript, Taft clarifies that he read Fleming’s letter again and acknowledges that the situation is perhaps more serious than he suspected, and Congress ought to take notice.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-23

Letter from William H. Fleming to Theodore Roosevelt

William H. Fleming writes to President Roosevelt about the possible disfranchisement of African American voters in Georgia. Fleming believes it would be a disaster if Hoke Smith, who advocates such disfranchisement, was nominated at the Democratic Convention. He is even more concerned about the conduct of Representative Thomas W. Hardwick, who has been decrying the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution and publicly renouncing his allegiance to those parts of the Constitution. Fleming thinks that the question should be raised in the House of Representatives, whether a member is violating their oath of office by refusing to uphold these amendments. Such an inquiry would force Hardwick to either retract his statements or be removed from office.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-17

There are twenty-three of them

There are twenty-three constitutional amendments up for vote at the October 10, 1911 California state special election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Henry Dana

If Theodore Roosevelt had known about Richard Henry Dana writing to The Outlook, Roosevelt would have done his best to have Dana’s writing published. Roosevelt believes the Eleventh Amendment was “merely a construction of the Constitution.”

Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society

Creation Date

1912-03-01

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge and Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Henry Cabot Lodge and his wife, Nannie, in pencil, because he is far out in the African wilderness. Roosevelt discusses Lodge’s response to the tariff question and shares his own thoughts on the constitutional amendment about the income tax. Roosevelt agrees with William Loeb and Lodge on the mayoralty issue. On his trip, Roosevelt has gained a passion for William Shakespeare’s plays, news that will be of interest to Nannie. Roosevelt shares the highlights of his big game hunting in Africa, as well as other books he has been reading.

Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society

Creation Date

1909-09-10

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Orville Hitchcock Platt

President Roosevelt has consulted Attorney General Knox and asked that the law, or a constitutional amendment, be passed. As soon as Senator Platt can come to Washington, D.C., Roosevelt would like to see if he and Knox can “devise such a law.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-11-15

Who’d ever have thought we’d go fishing to-gether?

Two figures stand above the “senatorial pool” armed with fishing equipment. Theodore Roosevelt holds a large pole with a can labeled “bait amendments” by his side. Next to him, holding a pitchfork with a net strung in it, is the figure of Benjamin Tillman, a democratic senator from South Carolina. In the pool are a number of creatures, including a frog labeled “statehood bill,” a fish labeled “Santo Domingo,” a crocodile labeled “Philippine tariff bill,” and a large turtle with the head of a steam locomotive labeled “the railroad rate bill.” Roosevelt’s fishing pole has hooked under the lip of this turtle’s shell.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1906-02-25

Address of President Roosevelt at Cincinnati, Ohio (delivered copy)

In this economic policy speech at the Cincinnati Music Hall, President Roosevelt begins by joking about how he messed up the opening music by requesting “Garryowen,” which the band apparently did not know how to play. Roosevelt argues that the trusts are a natural result of the prosperity brought by the Industrial Revolution and that we cannot pride ourselves on progress and prosperity while denouncing the men who made this possible. He compares the present situation to flood control; just as one can control the Mississippi River’s flooding but not prevent it, so too America cannot end corporations but can study and regulate them so that they can “subserve the public good.” Roosevelt urges calm, informed evolution on the issue of trusts, not rancorous revolution and asserts that the public’s objection to any corporation should be based on its conduct, not its size or wealth. He advocates for free trade, noting that the lifting of tariffs for trust-made goods would hurt smaller producers and wage workers more than the trusts. Since most trusts conduct interstate commerce, he recommends federal oversight, calling for legislative solutions and perhaps a constitutional amendment. He reminds the crowd that, as part of the executive branch, he is limited in his ability to stop the trusts alone. Roosevelt encourages the crowd not to “be made timid or daunted by the size of the problem” and concludes with the assertion that “all men, rich and poor alike, shall obey the law alike and receive its protection alike.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-20

Address of President Roosevelt at Cincinnati, Ohio (prepared copy)

In the script for an economic policy speech to be delivered at the Cincinnati Music Hall before many captains of industry, President Roosevelt argues that the trusts are a natural result of the prosperity brought by the Industrial Revolution and that we cannot pride ourselves on progress while denouncing the men whose “commanding business ability” made it possible. He uses the example of how one can control the Mississippi River’s flooding but not prevent it; therefore, America cannot end corporations but can and must study and regulate them. Roosevelt urges calm, informed evolution on the issue of trusts, not rancorous revolution. Labeling the “demagogic denunciation of wealth” to be unwholesome and even dangerous, he asserts that the public’s objection to any corporation should be based on its conduct, not its size or wealth. Roosevelt opposes lifting tariffs for trust-made goods, as that would hurt smaller producers and wage workers more than the trusts. Since most trusts conduct interstate commerce, Roosevelt recommends federal oversight, calling for legislative solutions and perhaps a constitutional amendment. He reminds the crowd that, as part of the executive branch, he is limited in his ability to stop the trusts alone.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-20

Speech of the President at the Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee

At the opening session of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen convention, President Roosevelt praises railroad workers as possessing the necessary qualities of soldiers, including obedience, initiative, and the rugged, manly virtues that Roosevelt feels are threatened by modern luxuries. He argues that organized labor is wonderful, but only if it encourages individual improvement while working for the group, and he feels that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have historically exemplified this virtue. Roosevelt warns that the prosperity of modern progress also gives rise to new challenges. He insists that, just as certain soldierly qualities remain constant despite changes in arms or military tactics, laws and constitutions may change but the need for good citizens of honesty, courage, and common sense will always be necessary. Having just visited the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields, Roosevelt also praises the unified American spirit shared by men and women across the country, including immigrants.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-08

Bottled politics

Print shows two old men, one of whom may be Uncle Sam holding a glass, sitting at a table in a saloon, on which is a large bottle of alcohol labeled “Regulated Ohio Brand.” On a shelf behind them are other bottles of alcohol and a notice that states “Ohio Cordials & Refreshments on Hand”, there is also a large container of “Ice”, and on the wall, a sign that states “Regulate Liquor Traffic by License and Tax Laws.” The man sitting opposite of Uncle Sam is reaching for the bottle to refill his glass; he is holding a paper with the headline “Prohibitory Amendment Defeated.” An old temperance woman, wearing the plumed hat of Blaine Republicans and shaking her fist, is visible through an open door. Caption: Not too much – just enough – pass the bottle!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1883-10-17

Polly’s chance to get some nice crackers

A well-dressed man labeled “Plutocracy,” wearing a top hat, holds a parrot labeled “State Legislature” on his right hand. He is trying to get the parrot to repeat a phrase after him, and he promises it “some nice crackers” in return for correctly learning to repeat the phrase. Caption: “We don’t want an Income-Tax Amendment! Say it, Polly! We don’t want an Income-Tax Amendment! Say it, Polly! Amendment! Amendment! We don’t want it!”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-08-18

Speech of Gov. Roosevelt at St. Louis, Monday night, Oct. 9, 1900

In this speech draft with handwritten corrections, Governor Roosevelt campaigns against William Jennings Bryan and his policies. Bryan’s prophecies regarding the need for free silver have not come true and the country has prospered. Roosevelt advocates national action to combat the complex problems of trusts. He points out the plight of African Americans and that Bryan seems more concerned with the rights of the “bandits” in the Philippines. Roosevelt does not want the United States to shirk its duty in the Philippines and believes that liberty will come to the islands under the American flag.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1900-10-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Bucklin Bishop

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Joseph Bucklin Bishop to discuss President William H. Taft, President-elect Woodrow Wilson, and the Democratic Party’s attempt to amend the Constitution to limit presidential terms.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1913-02-10

Letter from Rollo Ogden to Theodore Roosevelt

Rollo Ogden informs President Roosevelt that The Evening Post will publish results from a canvas of Republican representatives regarding African American disfranchisement. Ogden asserts that the findings reflect racial inequality that contradict the Fourteenth Amendment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-25

The negro

In a recent speech, Representative Humphreys suggested that some Southerners would be willing to accept a reduction of their representation in Congress in return for a repeal of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Humphreys portrayed the amendment as an “incubus” that was sapping the South’s liberties. The article’s creator faults Humphreys for his ignorance and states that the Fifteenth Amendment will never be repealed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06

Pages from the London Times

Two pieces in the London Times report and comment on President Roosevelt’s Annual Message to Congress. They particularly focus on what Roosevelt said about trusts, combinations, tariff reform, and the army and the navy. In the message, Roosevelt also invoked the Monroe Doctrine and vowed that the United States would leave alone European powers that did not seek to acquire territory in South America. One of the pieces draws comparisons between the current message and the one Roosevelt gave last year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-12-03

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge encloses a copy of one of his recent speeches where he remained close to President Roosevelt’s line on the Constitutional amendment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-08