Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to L. V. McKesson
President Roosevelt thanks L. V. McKesson for the nice letter he sent to Secretary of War William H. Taft, and was impressed by what he wrote. He reminds McKesson, however, that he as president only controls the nominating portion of the process appointing people to government positions, and that it is the Senate who confirms them. If he is notified by senators that they will reject a candidate, it is a waste of time for him to nominate them. For local positions, this places a great deal of power in the hands of the senators from the state affected, as most of the senate follow their wishes. Much of Roosevelt’s power, therefore, is that he can “refuse to appoint any unworthy man, and to remove any man of proved unworthiness.” While Roosevelt would not now appoint George P. Waldorf, Internal Revenue Collector for Toledo, Ohio, to his position, the Treasury Department investigated him and did not find anything warranting his removal.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-07-07
