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Secretary of Commerce and Labor Straus is confident in his decision in the South Carolina labor case and does not believe that it will be damaging to the labor unions. However, Straus will consider President Roosevelt’s judgment on the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-19
Charles William Eliot writes to President Roosevelt regarding his feelings on how labor unions must be regulated.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-12
President Roosevelt defends his actions in the William A. Miller case, stating that union membership cannot be a factor in employment any more than creed, color, or birthplace. Miller’s fitness for the position will be settled as part of routine administrative detail. Item includes draft with handwritten corrections.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-29
President Roosevelt draws Secretary Cortelyou’s attention to a judgment by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission that employment cannot be refused based on membership or non-membership in a labor organization. Roosevelt approves of the judgment and believes that government departments should follow this principle.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-14
In accordance with the decision of the Civil Service Commission, William A. Miller will be reinstated at the Government Printing Office. President Roosevelt will withhold his final decision until the investigation of Miller’s second communication is complete. His initial impression is that Miller’s removal violated the law.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-13
Theodore Roosevelt writes Leon C. Sutton that he stands with constructive labor unions, and hopes to pass a workers’ compensation act, secure living wages, and arrange some kind of profit sharing. Roosevelt also writes that he hopes the United States Supreme Court will overturn “the recent unhappy decision” of the New York State Court of Appeals.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-05-25
President Roosevelt gives permission for Baker to use a paragraph from a previous letter regarding Roosevelt’s views on corporations and trade unions.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-11-25
President Roosevelt is pleased to hear from William Sewall and relates that corporate people are upset because of lawsuits like the one against the Northern Securities Company, and labor unions are upset because Roosevelt insists that non-union members receive the same treatment as union members in government employment.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-22
President Roosevelt refers to the “printing office matter” wherein William A. Miller was dismissed from his job due to pressure from a labor union, and makes it clear that his administration stands for a square deal for everyone, whether they are on Wall Street or a union member. Roosevelt also encloses a letter from Senator Platt regarding a case that was prosecuted by Attorney General Knox.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-23
President Roosevelt believes that Public Printer Palmer is “worse than weak” for submitting to the pressure of the labor union and firing William A. Miller. Miller will be reinstated and Roosevelt is determined to prevent discrimination between union and non-union employees.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-16
President Roosevelt draws Secretary Cortelyou’s attention to a judgment by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission that employment cannot be refused based on membership or non-membership in a labor organization. Roosevelt approves of the judgment and believes that government departments should follow this principle.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-14
President Roosevelt supports labor unions and does not want a labor conflict in the year before a presidential election. However, the influence of the union in the Government Printing Office is intolerable. As a civil service office, employees must be hired and retained according to civil service rules. Roosevelt has a low opinion of Public Printer Francis Wayland Palmer and suggests a preliminary investigation into his office.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-13
Attorney General Bonaparte returns the enclosed draft with some suggested revisions and explanations for the revisions. The draft of the document is largely about labor, corporations, and other business matters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-17
Charles Evan Hughes outlines his platform for the 1906 New York gubernatorial campaign.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-22
President Roosevelt’s decision in the case of William A. Miller has made the rules of unions subservient to federal law in the workplace. The decision is already changing the way work is done in the Government Printing Office.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-08-07
Francis Wayland Palmer, public printer of the United States, summarizes the case of W. A. Miller. Miller was suspended and then dismissed from his position at the Government Printing Office due to a dispute with the Bookbinders’ Union.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-07
Francis Wayland Palmer, public printer of the United States, provides further information on the case of William A. Miller. Miller was suspended and then dismissed from his position at the Government Printing Office due a a dispute with the Bookbinders’ Union. This put Palmer in a difficult position as he tried to respect both the labor union and Miller’s rights as a government employee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-07