Referendum

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

The referendum, initiative & direct election of senators

Manuscript by William W. Todd with handwritten edits which describes the government as a corporation and voters as stockholders. Todd appeals to fellow businessmen saying no honest man would willingly work within such a corporation and we need to return to the government of his forefathers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-30

Creator(s)

Todd, William W. (William Whitney), 1869-1941

Letter from H. C. Jackson to Theodore Roosevelt

H. C. Jackson of East High School in Cleveland, Ohio, seeks Theodore Roosevelt’s opinion of the “Initiative and Referendum” for debating purposes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-09

Creator(s)

Jackson, H. C.

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to C. A. Smith

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary answers C. A. Smith’s question by pointing out Roosevelt’s support for the initiative and referendum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-10-04

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

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 Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to F. M. Baines

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary refers F. M. Baines to The Outlook of February 24 and March 23, 1912, for the answer to his question regarding the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-04-04

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Frank Harper to Elizabeth Lawrence

Frank Harper refers Elizabeth Lawrence to the Outlook of January 21 and March 5, 1911, for the answer to her question about the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-03-29

Creator(s)

Harper, Frank, 1882-1971

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to John F. Busch

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary refers John F. Busch to The Outlook of January 21 and March 5, 1911, for the answer to his question concerning the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-03-28

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to Lois Pendleton

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary directs Lois Pendleton to Roosevelt’s article in the January 21, 1911, issue of The Outlook for the answer to her question regarding the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-03-26

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Frank Harper to John D. Smith

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary refers John D. Smith to The Outlook of January 21 and March 5, 1911, for answers to his questions on the initiative, referendum, and recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-03-22

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt will be pleased to read Senator Lodge’s speech on the referendum and initiative but he hopes that Lodge does not treat these measures as “supremely important.” Roosevelt believes that these measures can be beneficial but also harmful, and that they have been falsely portrayed by their advocates as a “panacea for everything.” Gilson Gardner and Ray Stannard Baker have just visited Roosevelt on behalf of the La Follette campaign and requested that he publicly announce that he would refuse the presidential nomination if offered. Roosevelt does not want the nomination but refused to make a statement. He and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt will soon be celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and an article by Kermit Roosevelt will be appearing in Scribner’s Magazine.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to Livy S. Richard

The secretary of Theodore Roosevelt tells Livy S. Richard that Roosevelt cannot express his opinions pertaining to the forthcoming primaries, however the secretary encloses an article that contains Roosevelt’s opinions on the initiative and referendum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-06

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Jonathan Bourne

Theodore Roosevelt believes that it is nonsense to say that people will never make a mistake with the initiative, referendum, or recall. He wants the government to respond to the desires of the people but their desires do not need to be fulfilled the next moment. Two copies. Letter is dated February 31, 1911, which may have been a transposition of February 13.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Dwight Willard

Theodore Roosevelt is concerned about Charles Dwight Willard’s health and asks him to have Tracy C. Becker arrange a meeting. He likes Willard’s article and welcomes open criticism. During their visit, Roosevelt wants to discuss the importance of moderation to make the reform movement national and effective. He comments on progressive measures and their reception in different areas of the country.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to Helen Kerns

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary suggests that Helen Kerns contact Senator Bourne or get a copy of The Outlook to read about Roosevelt’s position on the initiative and referendum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-13

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Katharine B. Mills

Theodore Roosevelt clarifies the Swiss measure he referred to in a recent article. The bill would have required the insuring of employees against sickness and accident, and was rejected in a referendum in 1900. However, he misstated that the bill was proposed to the federal legislature through the use of that initiative.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-08

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt to John P. Nash

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary sends John P. Nash a copy of The Outlook, containing an article written by Roosevelt which outlines his position on the initiative, the referendum, and the recall.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-01

Creator(s)

Secretary of Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Jonathan Bourne

Theodore Roosevelt would like to meet with Senator Bourne to discuss placing limitations on the use of the initiative and referendum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Jonathan Bourne

Theodore Roosevelt generally favors the initiative and referendum but cautions against forcing acceptance of these reforms. There is a wide range of views on these reforms, and Roosevelt wants progressive support to be broad-based before moving forward.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Jonathan Bourne

Theodore Roosevelt informs Senator Bourne that he learned the facts about Oregon from William Simon U’Ren. After reading Bourne’s speeches and hearing from U’Ren, Roosevelt changed his mind about the initiative and referendum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-11-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919