Hours of labor

Letter from Charles R. Dewing to United States Civil Service Commission

Charles R. Dewing writes the United States Civil Service Commission regarding an investigation into the dismissal of Dewing due to religious discrimination. Dewing states Mr. Stockman, a Jesuit, targeted Dewing because he was part of the Central Union Church and participated in activities. Dewing also states Mr. Stockman pressured him to send letters, work long hours, and never take time off. Dewing requests the Commission continue to investigate.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-15

Creator(s)

Dewing, Charles R. (Charles Royal), 1878-

Letter from S. Adolphus Knopf to Theodore Roosevelt

S. Adolphus Knopf writes Theodore Roosevelt of his work collecting historical data for the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, an association in which Roosevelt has been a vice-president of since its founding. Roosevelt has supported anti-tuberculosis movements for a long time and Knopf would appreciate hearing Roosevelt’s views and any stories from his anti-tuberculosis works that he might be willing to share alongside an autographed photograph for Knopf to reproduce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-24

Creator(s)

Knopf, S. Adolphus (Sigard Adolphus), 1857-1940

Memorandum from Charles J. Bonaparte to the officers and employees of the Department of Justice

Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte relays excerpts from legislation regarding “hours of labor and leaves of absence of clerks and other employees.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-03-15

Creator(s)

Bonaparte, Charles J. (Charles Joseph), 1851-1921

Gov. Bates asks Col. Gaston questions

On a page of the Boston Post, the article “Gov. Bates asks Col. Gaston questions” has been highlighted, and the note “omitted in Herald” appended to two paragraphs. The article describes a Republican rally which saw Massachusetts Governor John L. Bates respond to statements from his Democratic opponent William A. Gaston regarding appropriations and expenditures for Massachusetts, as well as statutes limiting the length of the working day. Other articles on the page include a discussion of a proposed expansion of the Suffolk county courthouse, a temporary suspension in the production of anthracite coal, and a discussion on the method of assigning wages to employees.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-22

Creator(s)

Unknown

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Marsden G. Scott

Theodore Roosevelt informs Marsden G. Scott, President of the International Typographical Union, that he has spoken about “the labor situation” many times and will soon have an article in the Metropolitan about it. Roosevelt also refers Scott to his published speeches and messages to Congress in which he speaks about labor “again and again and in full.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-04-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt instructs Attorney General Bonaparte to investigate the Department of Justice in order to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wilson

President Roosevelt directs Secretary of Agriculture Wilson to examine his department to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays in the Department of Agriculture unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt instructs Secretary of War Taft to investigate the War Department and ensure that no work is being done on Sundays, unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root

President Roosevelt instructs Secretary of State Root to investigate the State Department and ensure that no work is being done on Sundays, unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George von Lengerke Meyer

President Roosevelt instructs Postmaster General Meyer to investigate the Post Office Department and ensure that no work is being done on Sundays, unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Victor Howard Metcalf

President Roosevelt instructs Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to inspect the Department of the Navy to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays, unless such work is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Interior Garfield to investigate the Department of the Interior to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George B. Cortelyou

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou to investigate the Treasury Department to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays unless it is unavoidable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt sends Attorney General Bonaparte a letter from Wallace Radcliffe and asks if it is possible to stop government work on Sundays. If Roosevelt has the ability, he would like to do so.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Augustus Peabody Gardner

President Roosevelt hopes the movement mentioned by Representative Gardner will have some effect. Most of Roosevelt’s information indicates that the political movement to restrict immigration proved harmful. Gardner’s fight with Senator George A. Schofield concerns Roosevelt, as does Samuel Gompers’s attitude.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-04

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt informs Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte that he has asked Commissioner of Labor Charles Patrick Neill to, in the course of his investigation into complaints of violations of the eight-hour law, go directly to Departments or Bureaus he may need information from in order to save time and minimize correspondence. He asks that Bonaparte give Neill any information he may need from the Department of the Navy as promptly as possible.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Organized labor and efficiency

In a speech before the Boston Central Labor Union, Louis Dembitz Brandeis discusses the principles of scientific management in the workplace, including increased wages and worker protection, and argues that such precepts enable the full realization of organized labor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-04-02

Creator(s)

Brandeis, Louis Dembitz, 1856-1941

Letter from Francis G. Newlands to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Newlands is traveling and will not be able to welcome Theodore Roosevelt to Nevada. Having heard that Roosevelt’s speech will focus on Nevada as a progressive state, Newlands sends a pamphlet on its progressive legislation. Some of these include the referendum, initiative, employer’s liability, and direct primary. Unfortunately, other important measures failed during the recent legislative session because of a divided party. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-03-09

Creator(s)

Newlands, Francis G. (Francis Griffith), 1848-1917

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root informs President Roosevelt that from now on he will ensure work on Sundays is strictly confined to the secretary and assistant secretary. Root asks if they can work on matters regarding the Far East on Sunday, and focus on the Near East and Europe on Monday. A handwritten note at the bottom from Roosevelt reads, “Dear Nannie, This is a characteristic Rootian note.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-27

Creator(s)

Root, Elihu, 1845-1937

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft is glad that President Roosevelt decided to pursue the course of hiring Chinese laborers for work on the Panama Canal. It may not be necessary to advertise the positions, as there have been a number inquiries, from which it may already be possible invite proposals, but Taft will confer with W. Leon Pepperman and Theodore P. Shonts, of the Isthmian Canal Commission, on the matter. Taft is annoyed by the situation in the War Department relating to the eight hour law. He believes it may appear to outsiders to be a way to win votes from the labor movement, although Taft and Roosevelt both know that it is simply a necessity of enforcing the law, where it had previously been avoided.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-01

Creator(s)

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