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President Roosevelt with the big stick and South Carolina Senator Benjamin R. Tillman with a pitchfork hide behind a box as they watch “R. R. lobbyist” rats tear the “Hepburn bill” to pieces. Caption: President Roosevelt joins in a rat hunt.—News Item.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-19
President Roosevelt, West Virginia Senator Stephen B. Elkins, Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker, Pennsylvania Senator Philander C. Knox, Iowa Representative William Peters Hepburn, and Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich all stir a “R.R. rates bill” soup in a pot shaped like the United States Capitol building.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-02-19
President Roosevelt walks away from the “White House” holding the “big stick” with a “Hepburn rate bill” on the end of it. South Carolina Senator Benjamin R. Tillman holds the bottom of the big stick.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01
C. L. Davidson responds to a letter published by Kansas Senator Chester I. Long regarding the Dolliver Bill, Hepburn Act, and decisions regarding the Interstate Commerce Commission and railroad rates, and how these decisions will affect Wichita, Kansas.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01-25
Theodore Roosevelt complains about misrepresentations in the press, such as publications appearing in Hearst’s American, and including a recent conflict with Governor Baldwin and previous battles with Senator Platt. He agrees with Senator Lodge regarding Canadian reciprocity and is distressed at the many contradictions in the potential treaty. Roosevelt believes that the Lorimer case is very clear. He views Senator Lorimer’s unexpected election, corrupt past, and the bribery confessions of Illinois legislators as sufficient proof of Lorimer’s guilt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-01-31
Theodore Roosevelt believes Senator Jonathan Dolliver and Representative William Hepburn both played significant roles in creating the Act referenced in a previous letter. Roosevelt says Dolliver had as much to do with its passage as anybody in Congress, and without him, it would not have passed through the Senate.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1914-10-02
President Roosevelt forwards to Attorney General Bonaparte the Interstate Commerce Commission’s report, letters, and a map on the Edward Henry Harriman matter. He suggests that Bonaparte publish the report at the same time he announces the law suit. In a postscript dated July 11, Roosevelt responds to a letter he received from Bonaparte in the meantime. He expects to be “in an awful row” regarding Ulysses S. Bratton. He discusses the timing of Alexander McDonald McBlair’s and Mary Tayloe Key’s marriage, as it relates to McBlair’s responsibilities in the Oregon land fraud cases. He praises Bonaparte’s handling of the tobacco case. Finally, he alerts Bonaparte that Senator William Peters Hepburn wants to speak with him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-10
President Roosevelt tells Senator Nelson that his memory of the matter Nelson referred to was the same, and that during the discussions of the bill establishing the Department of Commerce and Labor they agreed that the bill in the House did not provide the department with enough power, leading to Roosevelt asking Attorney General Philander C. Knox to prepare an amendment for Nelson to introduce. No one involved with the bill, however, expected a decision like the recent one made by Judge J. Otis Humphry in the beef trust case. If Congress passes a law granting the government the right of appeal, Roosevelt assures Nelson that it will be used in this case.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-21
President Roosevelt congratulates William F. Stipe for the actions of his congressman, Representative William Peters Hepburn, who has provided invaluable service on both the railroad rate bill and the Panama Canal bill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-10
President Roosevelt sends Senator Millard a copy of a letter he sent to Representative William Peters Hepburn, and congratulates him on a recent speech.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-27
President Roosevelt has received Interstate Commerce Commissioner Prouty’s letter and hopes that he will look over the bill and discuss it with Representative William Peters Hepburn. He has sent Hepburn Prouty’s letter with the recommendation that the amendment Prouty proposed be inserted into the legislation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-24
President Roosevelt has received Senator Lodge’s letter, and has written a message to Representative William Peters Hepburn, of which William Loeb encloses a copy. Roosevelt would be glad if Lodge showed the message to Senator Shelby M. Cullom and Senator Stephen B. Elkins.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-29
After speaking with Speaker of the House Cannon, President Roosevelt has been thinking about the immigration bill and wishes that Cannon could support it and encourage others to support it. Roosevelt believes the opposition to the bill comes from people who look to obtain masses of cheap labor, as well as steamship companies. Roosevelt believes that in spite of agitation among German and Scandinavian populations against the bill it would not affect immigration from either region. Roosevelt admits that the bill is not drawn up as he himself would have done it and enumerates several changes he wishes were in place. Overall, Roosevelt wishes for an immigration bill to stem the flow of cheap labor, allowing wages to rise, and to focus on admitting people of good character who will improve the communities that they join. In a handwritten note, Roosevelt recognizes that the Pure Food bill and the Naturalization bill must be considered first but hopes to be able to have all three bills pass.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-27
President Roosevelt invites Charles Emory Smith to visit him sometime in the next week or two in order to discuss a proposition. Roosevelt does not think Smith will touch the idea, but believes it would be a good thing for the Republican party if he did.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-23
President Roosevelt asks Representative Lovering and Representative William Peters Hepburn to consult with Hawaiian Delegate Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole about the Hawaiian leprosy issue.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-19
President Roosevelt suggests Attorney General Moody hedge his bets while writing to Mr. Hepburn about approving the bill by saying that the law may require further modifications beyond the limits of the bill, but that bill itself is a good one. Roosevelt wants to make sure that they are able to address the worst abuses of the railroads before they consider themselves to be “entirely satisfied with anything that we are doing.” He asks Moody to look over the enclosed letter from Governor Benjamin B. Odell.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-18
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of War Taft to request that Iowa Representative William Peters Hepburn not publish the report General George W. Davis gave him. Roosevelt believes it is improper for to permit special publication of a report before it has been considered by the Isthmian Canal Commission, Taft, and Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-17
Seth Low is enclosing copies of a speech he made at Charles Evans Hughes’s dinner. Thanks to Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, he was able to make arrangements for Representative William Peters Hepburn to introduce their resolution to the House, as well as to the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Inter-State Commerce. Hearings for the Senate Committee are already scheduled and they hope to have the House Committee hearings the same day. Cannon also told Low that although he previously opposed allowing railroads to pool, now he feels that something like that must be tried. They have been encouraged to prepare bills to express their views, so Herbert Knox Smith and Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield will take up the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-04
Senator Long responds to an earlier letter from President Roosevelt about the railroad rate bill. He asks if Roosevelt would allow him to make the letter public, should the situation demand it, as he thinks that it would show that the law is a good one and would be helpful for Kansas.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-27
Representative Hepburn leaves a telephone message providing reassurance that the Hepburn Rate Bill will pass without incident. Hepburn states that some of the Senate conferees fear that the House will agree to some of the Senate’s amendments. Hepburn also states that James Schoolcraft Sherman and Senator Stephen Elkins of West Virginia are away.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-20