Liquor laws

Can poverty be abolished in America?

Lee C. Spooner believes Americans share the sentiment that poverty can and must be abolished and proposes how this can be accomplished, primarily by turning competition into cooperation. He argues that the laborers are the enemy of the republic, as they either turn to crime or revolution. To feel the responsibility of citizenship, the laborer must first own property. Spooner proposes they be granted a one-acre, suburban tract of land with a house through a federal initiative. Next, the prohibition of liquor will prevent laborers from wasting their earnings. Instead, they can then invest their earnings in federally regulated trusts. This redistribution of wealth will bring “socialism by purchase” and the end of poverty.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-04-19

Creator(s)

Spooner, Lee C. (Lee Cordova), 1863-1955

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte updates President Roosevelt on various matters before the Department of Justice, specifically pertaining to the cases of William Edgar Borah and N. M. Ruick. Bonaparte also goes into great detail about the case of the People of Puerto Rico vs. the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church in Puerto Rico. He encourages Roosevelt not to get involved but instead to let the courts work it out. In a postscript, Bonaparte discusses the political considerations of federal appointees who run for elective office.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-15

Creator(s)

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

Memorandum from Stanley Wellington Finch to Charles J. Bonaparte

Stanley Wellington Finch informs Attorney General Bonaparte about Special Agent William E. Johnson’s action regarding liquor traffic in Indian Territory. The Department of the Interior does not want to withdraw Johnson from his current work and would not do so unless requested by President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-13

Creator(s)

Finch, Stanley Wellington, 1872-1951

Letter from Frank Harper to S. Janette Reynolds

In response to S. Janette Reynolds’s request, Frank Harper summarizes Theodore Roosevelt’s views on the temperance movement. Roosevelt supports the initiative and referendum which will allow a majority of each state to decide on temperance. He is opposed to the shipping of liquor into states that have prohibited it as he favors the “enforcement of every law on the statute book.” As an example, Harper points to Roosevelt’s enforcement of the blue laws when he was the Police Commissioner of New York City.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-10-02

Creator(s)

Harper, Frank, 1882-1971

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Walter Wellman

President Roosevelt is concerned about what Walter Wellman said in his letter. William H. Taft is facing a “conspiracy of circumstances” in certain states. “Ultra prohibitionists” and “ultra liquor men” are uniting against him, and “avowed enemies of all religions” are uniting with religious zealots to defeat him. Roosevelt hopes that Wellman likes Roosevelt’s two letters on labor. He did not want to be “mealy-mouthed” about Samuel Gompers. Roosevelt believes that both Taft and Charles Evans Hughes will win in New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt agrees with Senator Lodge about wanting an appointee who follows the tenants of Alexander Hamilton and John Marshall. He is pleased with the outcome in Maine given the previous harm caused by the issue of temperance and liquor laws. Roosevelt shares how he took “solid satisfaction” in taking a shot at journalist Norman Hapgood. Reading Winston Churchill’s biography of his father, Lord Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill, reaffirmed Roosevelt’s dislike of both father and son.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Albert J. Beveridge

President Roosevelt tells Senator Beveridge that he is still figuring out the plans for Monday, December 19, and has asked Benjamin F. Barnes to speak with Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt on the subject. The president encloses a letter and papers from Kansas Representative Charles Curtis about the prohibition of liquor to Native Americans in Indian Territory after it becomes a state. Roosevelt asks Senator Beveridge if this could be incorporated into the statehood bill.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Robert H. Bruce to Theodore Roosevelt

Robert H. Bruce thanks Theodore Roosevelt for the letter, which he will keep confidential. The Texas Democrats are split, and he agrees that the state should be Republican. Bruce joined the Republican party because its views are in accord with his. He has “learned to let the wine cup severely alone.” As a result, he feels better and has not given up on realizing his opportunities. Bruce hopes to see Roosevelt during his upcoming trip back East.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-11-13

Creator(s)

Bruce, Robert H. (Robert Halsey), 1867-1938

Letter from Emma Betterman Jennings to Theodore Roosevelt

Emma Betterman Jennings asks Theodore Roosevelt to donate some of his books to the new public library and reading room in Wickenburg, Arizona. The many local Roosevelt supporters would greatly appreciate it. As a result of the passing of the local option, the library is also adding a saloon property.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-08-24

Creator(s)

Jennings, Emma Betterman, 1875-1915

Letter from Ward B. Short to The Outlook

Ward B. Short thanks the staff at The Outlook for the kind reply. However, he did not ask “where” to find Theodore Roosevelt’s views on the liquor question, but “how.” Short is certain Roosevelt has a definitive view on the issue but cannot understand why such a courageous man would so carefully guard his opinion.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-08-07

Creator(s)

Short, Ward B. (Ward Beecher), 1868-1930

Letter from Oscar Tromlitz to Theodore Roosevelt

Oscar Tromlitz believes initiative, referendum, recall, and direct primaries are essential to eliminating corruption. He discusses thoughts on liquor and marriage laws. As his “power is very limited,” he shares his suggestions with people, such as Theodore Roosevelt, who have influence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-04-11

Creator(s)

Tromlitz, Oscar, 1859-1924

Letter from Thomas A. Wilson to Theodore Roosevelt

Thomas A. Wilson discusses how Jackson, Michigan, will soon vote on whether to drop the “local option” for liquor regulation. Believing Theodore Roosevelt to be more influential, Wilson asks him to write a brief statement supporting the local option.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-03-17

Creator(s)

Wilson, Thomas A., 1836-1917

Letter from Joseph O. Thompson to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph O. Thompson will not attend the public functions honoring Theodore Roosevelt’s stay in Birmingham, Alabama, because Governor Emmet O’Neal will take a prominent part. Due to a recent disagreement, the two are not on friendly terms. Thompson, therefore, requests a personal meeting with Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-21

Creator(s)

Thompson, Joseph O. (Joseph Oswalt), 1869-1933

Letter from Frederick L. Chapman to William H. Taft

Frederick L. Chapman, owner and editor of the Home Herald, and his readers commend William H. Taft’s position on the subject of personal temperance. However, the liquor interests claim he is friendly to their cause. Chapman warns that Taft will lose votes if this idea persists. The presidential and vice-presidential candidates’ religious status has become a significant factor in the campaign. As such, Chapman advises Taft to write a letter for publication, as the other candidates have done, stating his beliefs, and suggests a sample statement.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-24

Creator(s)

Chapman, Frederick L. (Frederick Leslie), 1865-1925

Report from Wilford B. Hoggatt to Theodore Roosevelt

Governor Hoggatt sends President Roosevelt a report of Alaska’s administrative and legislative needs. Hoggatt believes the territory has multiple pressing needs, including more lighthouses, a new judicial division, and regulation of the growing railroad industry. He wishes to reduce the number of saloons and dance halls, believing these are centers for agitation against the government. The territory remains rich in natural resources but sparsely populated, and its mines are not producing because mining interest has largely shifted to other parts of the country. Hoggatt doesn’t feel that the territory has a large enough population or tax base to maintain its own standards of law and order, so he believes Alaska’s government not be reorganized until its future is more stable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-24

Creator(s)

Hoggatt, Wilford B. (Wilford Bacon), 1865-1938

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

Attorney General Bonaparte sends President Roosevelt a letter from United States Marshal George K. Pritchard of the Central District of the Indian Territory. Bonaparte believes the letter an admission of guilt on Pritchard’s part, no matter his intentions. He waits for a formal response from Roosevelt with regards to what to do with Pritchard’s employment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-03

Creator(s)

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

Chronology January 1892 to December 1898

Chronology of the daily life of Theodore Roosevelt from January 1892 to December 1898. Notable events include the death of Elliott Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt is appointed New York City Police Commissioner, his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the Spanish-American War, and Roosevelt’s gubernatorial campaign.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1985

Creator(s)

Moore, Robert J. (Robert John), 1956-; Theodore Roosevelt Association

Chronology January 1884 to December 1891

Chronology of the daily life of Theodore Roosevelt from January 1884 to December 1891. Notable events include the deaths of Alice Lee Roosevelt and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, Roosevelt’s time on his ranch, the completion of Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt’s engagement and marriage to Edith Kermit Carow, Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt’s birth, the “Great-Dieup” of cattle in North Dakota, and the founding of the Boone and Crockett Club.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association

Creation Date

1985

Creator(s)

Moore, Robert J. (Robert John), 1956-; Theodore Roosevelt Association

Mr. Taft on prohibition

The writer examines the position of the Republican party and its nominee for the presidency, William H. Taft, with regard to the prohibition of the sale of alcohol. The Republican platform reaffirms the party’s adherence to a plank that is opposed to unconstitutional laws which interfere with people’s rights. William H. Taft has written in his book Four Aspects of Civic Duty that it is foolish to enact a law which is impossible to enforce. The writer believes Taft’s reasoning is fallacious, and that the prohibitionists ought to prevail.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-13

Creator(s)

Unknown

A rational law, or – Tammany

The owner of a wine and beer store puts up a sign that states, “As long as it is the law it shall be enforced, Theo. Roosevelt.” A man representing Tammany Hall implies that if Tammany men were running the government, there might be ways to get around the laws without having to repeal them. Caption: Tammany–Goin’ to wait till dem reformers repeal dat law, are yer? Put me back and you won’t need to repeal! See?

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-07-24

Creator(s)

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929