Your TR Source
Upton Sinclair inquires about a report in the Chicago Tribune that President Roosevelt has called off the meat packing investigation Sinclair requested because Roosevelt believes Sinclair “shamelessly lied” to him. Sinclair asks if Roosevelt has truly called off the investigation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-11
Otto Gresham tells President Roosevelt of his dinner with Judge Humphrey during the beef trial. Gresham’s mother is “indignant” at the judge’s decision and Gresham did not expect it either. Still, he believes Humphrey to be “absolutely honest.” Despite the outcome of this case, Gresham encourages Roosevelt to pursue other similar indictments. He concludes that most lawyers agree with Humphrey because lawyers are “prone to agree with the court,” but if another judge were to rule differently, they would “jump the fence.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-27
Attorney General Moody has received the letter about the case of Schwarzschild & Sulzberger and will talk to former Attorney General Philander C. Knox if presented with the opportunity. The firm was a part of a major anti-trust case against the meat packing industry, in which they were found guilty of entering into illegal rebating agreements with railroads.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-28
A. E. De Ricqles is willing to provide a statement on the Garfield report regarding the packing house proposition for President Roosevelt’s information.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-04-29
Commissioner of Corporations Garfield replies to President Roosevelt’s letter regarding William Miller Collier’s letter about anti-trust work at the Department of Commerce and Labor. Garfield notes that there is no opportunity for work against corporations in his department and that Collier should contact the Attorney General. Garfield goes on to outline the duties and responsibilities of the Department of Commerce and Labor as he sees them and how they relate to the anti-trust investigation of the beef industry.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-01
A highlighted article in Leslie’s Weekly notes the support President Roosevelt is receiving for renomination in 1908 in spite of his protestations against running for another term. Other articles on the page include criticism of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge for joining the outcry against the meat-packing industry and an evaluation of the election of 1860 which saw Abraham Lincoln come to the presidency. On the verso is the cover image of a nearly finished battleship.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-12
A large, possibly conjoined figure labeled “Meat Trust” sits on a building labeled “Packing House.” The more benevolent half, facing left, is offering advice to a man labeled “Farmer,” and the more mean-spirited half, facing right, is telling the same farmer, now with cattle in tow, that he has no option but to accept the price offered for his cattle. Caption: Before. The Meat Trust (to a small farmer) — “My friend, why don’t you raise a few cattle each year? The price of beef is high. You will make good money.” After. The Meat Trust (to same small farmer) — “The price I offer for your cattle is low, is it? Well, you may take it or leave it, my friend. There is nobody else for you to sell to.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1913-10-15
Frank Nelson Doubleday is letting President Roosevelt know that they have succeeded in having Upton Sinclair revise his book and he thinks that the book has a good influence on the packers. Doubleday specifically mentions that they are asking Sinclair to cut what Roosevelt refers to as a “ridiculous socialistic rant” at the end of the book.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-23
Herschel V. Jones asks President Roosevelt for advice on how to let Mr. Hill know of an upcoming interview, whether they let him know directly or through another channel. Jones also discussed the issue of the case against the meat trust. He includes statistics for Roosevelt showing that the market is not much different than it had been before the meat trust. Jones urges a more conservative approach in the complaint, arguing that “a radical complaint increases the chance to lose.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-27