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Letter from William H. Taft to William H. Moody

Letter from William H. Taft to William H. Moody

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Canal Commission, Secretary of War Taft requests that Attorney General Moody formulate rules and restrictions regarding the employment of Asian laborers in the Canal Zone. Taft is concerned that the practice of contract labor does not “bring about a condition of peonage under the authority of the United States.” Taft has already advised the Committee to ignore political considerations in the hiring of Asian laborers because it is obvious that without those laborers work on the Canal would be delayed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-15

Letter from Thurlow Weed Barnes to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Thurlow Weed Barnes to Theodore Roosevelt

Thurlow Weed Barnes reports to President Roosevelt on his visit with Republican National Committee Chairman Cortelyou “concerning steps to be taken in view of the recommendation by Judge Herrick, the Democratic candidate for Governor of New York, that wages and hours of labor should be regulated by a State Commission.” Barnes reports that while Cortelyou did not know much about the matter, he “grasped the matter very rapidly.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-01

Cuban relief, U.S. labor laws …

Cuban relief, U.S. labor laws …

Cartoon shows Republican House Speaker Sereno Elisha Payne as a messenger delivering a sheet of paper “Cuban relief. U.S. labor laws. U.S. immigration law. 20% reduction reciprocity. April 1, ’02” to a barefoot man “Cuba.” Payne has a sheet of paper in his coat pocket “[Paragraph] Veto. 209 Dutch Standard Tariff Law 1897.” Cuba holds a sugar knife “Industry” and dangles a pair of shoes “Real estate taxation” behind his back.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1902

Some thoughts on the retirement question

Some thoughts on the retirement question

Charles W. Commons is writing a report on his work on the retirement question in politics “in the hope that those who read it may do likewise and do more and better work.” He looks at retirement from an angle of compensation for civil service, and in the realm of taking care of the country’s working-class. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-05-23

Note from Milton Dwight Purdy to Theodore Roosevelt

Note from Milton Dwight Purdy to Theodore Roosevelt

This note, enclosed in a letter from Assistant to the Attorney General Purdy to President Roosevelt, details a recent case in a Kentucky federal court that declared the 1898 Congressional Arbitration Act unconstitutional. This court should have not been able to declare its unconstitutionality, and Congress should pass a law that allows the U. S. Government to appeal criminal cases like this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-11-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Simeon E. Baldwin

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Simeon E. Baldwin

Theodore Roosevelt has finally received Judge Baldwin’s recent letter, and states that his own earlier letter to Baldwin was based on what he knew of the letter from it’s appearance in the press. Roosevelt also received a copy of Baldwin’s decision in the case of William H. Hoxie, who was injured while working at his railroad job, and illustrates the case which Roosevelt was thinking of and which he feels is retrogressive, and in no way progressive. Roosevelt thoroughly comments upon the case and the way in which he feels it is a miscarriage of justice.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-10

Answers without looking

Answers without looking

Theodore Roosevelt recently responded to the open letter of Judge Simeon E. Baldwin, Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut, accusing Roosevelt of slander. In his speech, Roosevelt clarified his actual statement, which had been misquoted, and expanded upon his opinion that the statements of several judges, including Baldwin, regarding the unconstitutionality of enacting labor legislation limiting the hours of work was “a retrogressive attitude” and one which the Republican party opposed. While Roosevelt is sure that the judges holding these attitudes are honorable men, he strongly opposes their views.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-10-25

Hughes’ reply to Bryan

Hughes’ reply to Bryan

A compiled publication that features Governor of New York Charles Evans Hughes’s full speech highlights, select sentences of importance, and supporting quotations from other politicians. In his speech, Hughes outlines the Republican Party’s successes in promoting the nation’s welfare. William H. Taft is a highly qualified candidate who will prevent injustices and ensure continued progress. Democrat candidate William Jennings Bryan’s unsuccessful 1896 campaign illustrates not only his failures but those of his party.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-05

Seth Low meets Mr. Gompers

Seth Low meets Mr. Gompers

Seth Low, president of the Civic Federation, recently met with a committee from the American Federation of Labor, including President Samuel Gompers, on the subject of amending the Sherman anti-trust act to exclude labor organizers. While they did not reach a definite decision, they made progress on forming a measure to introduce to Congress. Low also recently spoke with President Roosevelt about this issue.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-06

A supporter of the law of the land

A supporter of the law of the land

In this newspaper clipping, Jacob A. Riis awaits the day when a law will pass that will give workers “other rights than to be killed or crippled for the profit of heartless employers.” If such a law passes it is because President Roosevelt has worked his whole life toward securing such a law.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-03-03

Note on immigration bill

Note on immigration bill

President Roosevelt wants to pass the immigration bill and will call a special session of the United States Congress if the bill fails. Roosevelt believes the bill protects wage workers and wants to see laws against contract labor strengthened.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-26

Wilson, Taft, Roosevelt: Their labor records compared

Wilson, Taft, Roosevelt: Their labor records compared

The handbill, associated with the 1912 presidential election, dedicates one page each to summarizing the labor records of Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s summary lists, in significant detail, his achievements as a member of the New York State Assembly, governor of New York, and President of the United States, as well as his Progressive Party platform.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1912

Sarah Knisley’s arm

Sarah Knisley’s arm

Booklet featuring the reprint of a two-part article by Theodore Roosevelt that first appeared in Collier’s Weekly. The case of a woman whose arm was crushed in a factory and the legal decision that allowed her employer to avoid financial responsibility are presented to justify Roosevelt’s call for review of judicial decisions.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1913-03

Address of President Roosevelt at the Charleston exposition (edited copy)

Address of President Roosevelt at the Charleston exposition (edited copy)

President Roosevelt addresses an audience at the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition, commonly known as the Charleston Exposition. Roosevelt feels that the invitation for him to speak at the exposition emphasized how completely the United States has been reunited. The unity of the Nation became “instantly and strikingly evident” during the Spanish-American War and Roosevelt felt it was satisfying to see the sons of Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers serving together. Roosevelt details the accomplishments of several former Confederate soldiers within his own administration. He also praises South Carolina’s efforts to engage the West Indies in an industrial exposition, as the West Indies should “occupy a far larger place in our national policy” in the future. Roosevelt also praises the work the U.S. has done in Cuba, which will soon be a free public.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-04-09