Foraker, Joseph Benson, 1846-1917

President Roosevelt and William Loeb both think Secretary of War Taft’s chances of being elected are improving. Removing Kentucky Collector of Internal Revenue Edward T. Franks is delicate, and Roosevelt will consult with Commissioner of Internal Revenue John G. Capers. Roosevelt will echo Taft’s statement on the Philippines. The financiers are now attacking the Great White Fleet’s trip to the Pacific. Roosevelt sends an enclosure exemplifying Lucius Nathan Littauer’s behavior, and he has heard there will be support for Governor Charles Evans Hughes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Secretary of War Taft that his endorsement by the Republican Party of Ohio is already having an effect on the New York newspapers, which previously had been supporting New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes for president in the upcoming election. Roosevelt advises Taft to not hurry election matters too much, but after his return from the Philippines he should make an attack on Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker. Roosevelt complains about Senator Eugene Hale’s efforts to curtail the navy’s attempts to repair battleships, saying Hale thinks that by keeping the United States unfit for war with Japan, war will therefore be averted. In a handwritten postscript Roosevelt tells Taft to avoid talking about tariff matters for the time being.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt would not have advised Secretary of War Taft to take the position of refusing to compromise with Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker but, upon reflection, considers it “one of those fine and manly things” he expects from Taft. Roosevelt recommends changing one sentence in his letter, which reads, “It may be quite true that a Senator may act on his own conscience.” Roosevelt believes it would be better to use the specific example of the rate bill where Foraker “acted so as to outrage the consciences of all the best men.” If Taft is not to be the president, Roosevelt hopes he will be Chief Justice or a senator from Ohio.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt asks Senator Lodge if the enclosed document is alright and gives him permission to change anything he believes should be changed. He condemns a few newspapers for their invention of disunity among himself, Lodge, Secretary of War William H.Taft, and Senator Winthrop Murray Crane.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Senator Beveridge that he feels Senator Joseph B. Foraker should not have spoken on the matter, which led to Roosevelt speaking out in disagreement. He reminds Beveridge that they share the same opinion about Foraker.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt would like to talk to Nicholas Murray Butler about the peace matter before he offers his help. He agrees with Butler on his stance about the fight with the senate, and thinks what he said about the railroads is interesting.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-23

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt enjoyed George Franklin Spinney’s letter which made him laugh and brought back memories. He then recounts to Spinney how Senator Joseph Benson Foraker “ate crow” over having to side with Roosevelt on an amendment therefore humiliating himself.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt thanks Sherrard Coleman for his nice letter. He tells Coleman that he has felt “intense indignation” at the behavior of Senators Joseph Benson Foraker and Benjamin R. Tillman over the matter in question; they have humiliated themselves by doing “grave damage to the discipline of the army” and have caused “mischief” regarding race relations. He will take up the final matter in Coleman’s letter with General George Bell.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt is pleased with the letter Judge Speer sent along with the clippings and details of his speech. He is pleased with Speer’s views on promoting social justice regarding race relations, and is upset that some senators are still using their power to undo advancement of African Americans in society.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-18

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt was glad to hear from William Wingate Sewall, and thinks his philosophy on political scandals is sound. He was glad to see the photographs that Sewall sent. He and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt are going to Pine Knot soon, where Roosevelt shot his first turkey.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Brooks Adams that he doubts the community agreed with his position regarding the 25^th infantry, who are the African American soldiers involved in the recent episode at Fort Brown in Brownsville, Texas. Roosevelt also believes that Senator Joseph Benson Foraker has been representing Wall Street in attacking the president related to the Brownsville affair.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Charles G. Washburn writes to John W. Weeks about their mutual concerns related to the Department of Justice’s enforcement of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Washburn summarizes the history of the Sherman Act. He discusses the effect of the 1897 Trans-Missouri case and efforts by politicians, including Theodore Roosevelt, to amend the Sherman Act. Washburn also describes a number of cases which have gone to court under the Sherman Act. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-28

Creator(s)

Washburn, Charles G. (Charles Grenfill), 1857-1928

Henry P. Curtis describes a recent publication on European natural history that he believes Theodore Roosevelt might be interested in. He explains how many towns were named after the animals that once resided there, such as Wolverhampton (wolves).

Curtis also shares with Roosevelt that his father was a Whig, while Curtis is a Republican. He expresses admiration for Senator John Sherman, discusses his political adversaries, and wishes that Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, and Daniel Webster could have been presidents.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-15

Secretary of War Taft agrees with President Roosevelt on Senator Henry Cabot Lodge’s speech and on the negative press from the New York papers. He describes his trip thus far and makes predictions about his success based on what he has been told. In light of the gerrymandering involving Oklahoma Governor Charles Nathaniel Haskell, Taft asks Roosevelt to help defeat an inadequate constitution in Oklahoma. Taft has asked Joseph L. Bristow to form another report on Panama, and he mentions an editor named Joseph Ralph Burton who has been attacking Roosevelt. Taft discusses the political campaigns and conflicts in the states he is passing through, in particular the political campaigns in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Denver. Taft’s mother Louise Maria Torrey Taft is recovering, and although the trip has been exhausting, Taft has a few days of rest ahead.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-30

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Representative Longworth advises President Roosevelt of the political situation in Cincinnati, Ohio. Roosevelt is more favored than Senator Foraker, but it remains to be seen whether this sentiment can be directed successfully toward nominating Secretary of War Taft for president in 1908. Many Republicans who lost their positions in the election of 1906 place much of the blame on a speech Taft gave at Akron. Longworth believes the attempts of Taft’s brother, Charles, to force a quick resolution of the issue are unwise.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-18

Creator(s)

Longworth, Nicholas, 1869-1931

Representative Longworth has received President Roosevelt’s letter and will give a full reply in a few days. His current impression is that Ohio Republicans are almost universally anti-Foraker and pro-Taft.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-13

Creator(s)

Longworth, Nicholas, 1869-1931

Senator Lodge thanks President Roosevelt for the note. He remains anxious for his wife, Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge, and reports that his sister-in-law, Louisa Minot Davis Luce, continues to weaken. Lodge wishes he could discuss the situation with Roosevelt, and has too many thoughts to write. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-11

Creator(s)

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Secretary of War Taft reports to President Roosevelt from Cuba. Charles E. Magoon is keeping everything under control and Taft plans to inspect the troops soon. Taft discusses his worries about his brother, Charles Phelps Taft, having set him up as an opponent to Senator Joseph Benson Foraker in the upcoming election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-09

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Editor of the Ohio State Journal Robert Frederick Wolfe informs President Roosevelt’s secretary that Wolfe met with Charles Phelps Taft, Representative Theodore E. Burton, and Secretary of the Republican National Committee Elmer Dover. Wolfe engaged in these meetings to learn about Taft’s interests and a possible compromise with Senator Joseph B. Foraker, but says that Dover tried to improperly influence Wolfe’s newspaper. Wolfe claims to have uncovered a plot involving William Randolph Hearst to control both the Democratic and Republican national conventions and the presidential election. Wolfe claims that Franklin Rockefeller told him in an off-the-record interview that moneyed interests from New York were planning to create a financial panic to disrupt Roosevelt’s policies. Wolfe says he is coming to Washington, D.C., to discuss this, but asks that Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield not be told.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-08

Creator(s)

Wolfe, Robert Frederick, 1860-1927

Senator Lodge writes to President Roosevelt discussing the deteriorating health of his sister-in-law. He also discusses the potential candidates for the 1908 presidential election and their various levels of support.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-07

Creator(s)

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924