Political parties

Peter W. Shute tells Theodore Roosevelt he is the only man to unite the Republican Party, but also suggests a new political party be formed, the Union Party. Shute believes there should be more focus on prohibition and temperance in politics, and less in the Church. Shute shares his grievances regarding William H. Taft and Robert M. La Follette and hopes Roosevelt will step up and save the party and the country.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-12

Theodore Roosevelt’s foreword to History of the Republican Party, in which he discusses a speech made by Abraham Lincoln after his re-election to the presidency in 1864. Roosevelt exhorts readers to study the past in order to be able to offer better service in the present.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-01-01

An article, written by Richard Barry, discussing why a Republican Congress is needed. This copy includes Theodore Roosevelt’s handwritten edits.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1918-09-27

President Roosevelt sends Herbert Parsons an extract of Representative William S. Bennet’s letter. It is accurate, except that Roosevelt currently reserves judgement on the Independent League Alliance. Roosevelt applauds Parson’s work.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-27

President Roosevelt tells Republican State Committee Chairman Woodruff that he hopes there will be support for judges Abel E. Blackmar and Luke D. Stapleton, who were appointed by Governor Charles Evans Hughes and represent both political parties. Roosevelt has scheduled Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield for Woodruff’s Saturday night meeting.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-25

President Roosevelt does not know how to handle Charles H. Young’s suggestion. Although he recently interfered to help renominate New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes, he really should not have, and he cannot keep bringing things up to the State or National Republican Committees.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-17

President Roosevelt explains to Henry Beach Needham, in confidence, that while he has refused to expressly endorse the last Congress, he believes that election of a Democratic Congress would severely hinder William H. Taft’s future work. He has heard that Needham will write an attack on conditions at the Panama Canal, and insists they discuss it beforehand.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-11

President Roosevelt shares a quotation with Senator Lodge from an article that describes a mugwump, or a person who remains independent from party politics.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-14

Charles C. Bull writes to Theodore Roosevelt about progress on the Panama Canal construction, which he says is going well. He states his opinion that though he opposes “white slaves traffic,” as by law women cannot be brought across country lines for “immoral” purposes, he says there is a problem in Panama where there are too many canal workers and too few prostitutes, and the prostitutes that are there have venereal diseases. Bull thinks there needs to be a way to bring (specifically white) prostitutes who have freely chosen the vocation to Panama and to have better health monitoring. He discusses San Francisco politics and greater U.S. politics, stating he will not support William H. Taft and he does not think the Republican Party will do well the next couple of terms, so he hopes the Democratic Party runs a presidential candidate he does not dislike too much so he does not have to vote Socialist. Lastly, he believes part of the Panama Canal construction area is not well fortified and is vulnerable to potential attack.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-14

James H. Ferriss sends Theodore Roosevelt Gifford Pinchot’s latest Saturday Evening Post editorial and a speech by Ira Copley with some of his stances highlighted. Ferriss says since he is the Populist party national chairman, he is invested in these matters. He also mentions a speech Roosevelt gave recently in Osawatomie where he briefly mentioned finances and says these kinds of discussions must be discrete. He thinks they are living in good times and hopes to see everyone voting together.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-12

John Appleton Stewart sends Theodore Roosevelt a document discussing a political question he would like his

opinion on. He hopes that Republicans who are distinct from the old guard and independent Democrats can make political headway in New York. He wishes to receive Roosevelt’s comments on the matters he has enclosed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Henry P. Curtis describes a recent publication on European natural history that he believes Theodore Roosevelt might be interested in. He explains how many towns were named after the animals that once resided there, such as Wolverhampton (wolves).

Curtis also shares with Roosevelt that his father was a Whig, while Curtis is a Republican. He expresses admiration for Senator John Sherman, discusses his political adversaries, and wishes that Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, and Daniel Webster could have been presidents.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Arthur Hamilton Lee is enjoying his holiday in the Scottish Highlands and feels refreshed after engaging in outdoor recreation. He is glad to hear Theodore Roosevelt is likewise taking pleasure in his leisure. Lee discusses recent British political issues, including debates over Constitutional law and Irish Home Rule. Additionally, he comments on international relations between Morocco, Germany, and France, and the United States’ proposed arbitration treaty with Great Britain. Hopefully, in the near future, he and his wife, Ruth Moore Lee, can travel to the United States and visit the Roosevelt family. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-10

Timothy L. Woodruff says that it will not be necessary for him to communicate with William Loeb en route to Washington, D.C., because he can learn everything that is required from William Barnes. He hopes that Loeb will be able to help Jack Smith and discusses implications of particular candidates winning in New York. Woodruff believes that they have a good chance of accomplishing excellent political results if there is a feud between Democrats in New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-18

Governor Curry recently met with Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley, who will report back to President Roosevelt. Special Assistant to the Attorney General Ormsby McHarg and Territorial Attorney General Albert B. Fall are working well together and matters in New Mexico appear to Curry to be clearing up. The Republican Party is working in unison with the National and Territorial administrations, and Curry hopes to meet with Roosevelt to discuss how the topics at hand relate to assisting their “mutual friends and comrades.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-05

Charles Sprague Smith discusses a meeting held at Cooper Union the previous night. The audience pledged itself to support Governor Charles Hughes, stand against the political machine, and to break down any opposition to his plans for the cure of existing evils.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-14

Secretary of State Elihu Root encloses a dispatch from the American Minister at Panama that officially replies to the charges recently made by the Liberal Party.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-14

President Roosevelt holds a “list of candidates for appointment to the federal judgeship of the northern district of Florida” and wear “party politics” glasses.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Presidential patronage, especially in Theodore Roosevelt’s day when merit appointments were still growing slowly (versus arbitrary political decisions, an evolution that accelerated under his watch, from Civil Service Commissioner to the White House) occasionally were “no win” for presidents. That is, a political advantage might have been checked by dissatisfied advocates of aspirants.

Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to discuss the presidential campaign and his hopes that the Progressive party will have another candidate ready in four years. He also mentions how much he likes Kermit’s letters and talks of the work Kermit is doing in Brazil.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1912-11-01

Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to discuss the 1912 presidential election results and beating William H. Taft. He also discusses career plans and how he does not want to work for money’s sake but to work for work’s sake, doing things that really interest him.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1912-11-11