Natural resources--Economic aspects

President Roosevelt tries to place as many of his fingers on the switchboard: “arbitration,” “spelling,” “nature fakirs,” “national resources,” “railroads,” “GOP,” “foreign relations,” “Navy,” “Army,” “Taft,” and “business.” His left foot is has just hit the “our colonies” bell and his right foot is on the “legislation” lever. Roosevelt says, “I said no!” A handwritten addition reads, “Keep up the good work! You are doing all right.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Many cartoonists drew many cartoons during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and lifetime about his “strenuous life” — but, they drew more about his catholicity of interests, his fervid activities, his range and mastery of different subjects, his remarkable memory, grasp of issues, and foresight in determining how to act. All manner of observers marveled at Roosevelt’s mature hyperactivity, whether in intellectual pursuits, politics, or leisure; and cartoonists always had a ready-made topic awaiting them on slow days in the newsroom.

President Roosevelt expresses his pleasure at visiting the industrial center in Kokoma, Indiana, and highlights Indiana’s great natural resources. However, he emphasizes that “material prosperity isn’t everything”—that the real resource is the character of the American people. He advocates the creed of optimism and hope, believing that the United States can develop the continent through hard work and ingenuity despite the difficulties and dangers it faces. Above all, he praises the traits of courage, honesty, and common sense. He also expresses his gratitude towards veterans and current members of the United States Army.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-23

President Roosevelt would like the National Academy of Sciences to create a plan to investigate the natural resources and natural history of the Philippine Islands.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-12-26

President Roosevelt informs American Paper and Pulp Association President David S. Cowles that he believes that wood pulp and forest products should not pay any duty. Roosevelt writes that timber in the United States is being depleted, and that exhaustion should be checked instead of stimulated.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1907-11-11

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of Commerce and Labor Cortelyou to find information regarding the “lake level business,” in particular, whether Lyman E. Cooley can be open minded and if Chicago feels that they ought to have a man on the commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-26

Theodore Roosevelt thanks William Pigott for the information from the Alaska Square Deal League and hopes Pigott saw his articles regarding the need to develop resources in Alaska in a way that protects the interest of the people who live there. Roosevelt is interested in organizations who are working towards this goal, but cannot himself take part in such organizations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-14

Theodore Roosevelt writes to William Chauncey Langdon that it is not possible to write the requested letter. He is happy that the people of Thetford are doing all they can to develop their resources under the direction of the University of Vermont and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-24

Theodore Roosevelt disagrees with the document, but it is impossible for him to discuss the errors of the La Follette extremists. Roosevelt believes that Governor Philipp of Wisconsin believes in abandoning the effort to preserve the forests and natural resources. Philipp also believes in giving private individuals their water rights.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-01-22

President Roosevelt invites the recipient to attend the upcoming Conference of Governors on the Conservation of Natural Resources as a representation of their organization. Roosevelt says that practically all the governors will attend and that, in addition to these, Senators and Representatives of the Sixtieth Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, and members of the presidential cabinet have also been invited. Accompanying the letter is a list of the people to whom this letter was sent, representing a number of national trade associations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-14

Gifford Pinchot encourages Theodore Roosevelt to mention conservation in his upcoming statement. He would also like to see the encouragement of exporting manufactured goods instead of natural resources.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-07-13

H. Rider Haggard shares with Roosevelt his critiques of the Anglosphere, particularly their love of pleasure and wealth. He then discusses his investments in the African continent, how insider trading is tampering with said investments, and how he believes that the love of nature “seems to be the privilege of the highly educated.” Haggard also predicts that the “white people” living in Africa will be removed within the coming generations, and that overall the “white races” are in noticeable decline.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-05

Daniel Moreau Barringer thanks Theodore Roosevelt for the letter of introduction he sent to Ambassador Whitelaw Reid on his behalf. He remarks that he hopes he will have a chance to visit Roosevelt one day when he returns, to tell Roosevelt “how [he has] succeeded in persuading the English man of finance that the war in which [he has] in mind is […] the only common sense way of going about acquiring […] valuable raw materials.”  

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-01

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

William D. Washburn thanks President Roosevelt for his letter, but cannot agree with some of Roosevelt’s statements that there is no analogy between the current political situation and the divisions related to slavery that caused the destruction of the Whig party (in spite of the obvious moral differences). Washburn adamantly disagrees with the statement that the tariff should not be discussed as a party issue, and fears that by not addressing it the Republican party will be soundly defeated. He further disagrees with the premise that the tariff and trusts are entirely separate issues, and gives an example to try to disprove this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-27

Jeremiah J. Harty, the Archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, has asked John Thomas McDonough, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, to speak with Roosevelt concerning the Church’s real estate in the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-29