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President Roosevelt hopes Secretary of State Elihu Root can attend the dinner, but can not suggest anyone who could replace Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon. Roosevelt asks Colonel Robert Means Thompson to give his regards to Shogu Nagasaki, and to assure him of Roosevelt’s feelings of respect for Emperor Meiji of Japan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-10
President Roosevelt tells Representative Sherman about Secretary of State Elihu Root’s suggestions regarding Congress’s measures in the last seven years. The people at the Republican National Headquarters thought it would be better to split the letter in two, and Roosevelt has adopted Sherman’s suggestions as part of this change. Roosevelt believes Governor Charles Evans Hughes must be renominated; otherwise there is potential for disaster.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-09
President Roosevelt forwarded Julia Ward Howe’s letter to Secretary of State Elihu Root, and had already asked him to take up the case personally. He is glad Howe appreciated what he said about her piece, the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-09
President Roosevelt sends the letter to William H. Taft for corrections. He has also sent copies to Representatives J. S. Sherman and William Brown McKinley, Republican Committee Chairman Frank H. Hitchcock, and Secretary of State Elihu Root for comments. Roosevelt suggests Taft also review it with a western radical.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-01
President Roosevelt will send William H. Taft a copy of his letter to Representatives Henry C. Loudenslager and William Brown McKinley. He wonders if Taft has seen George W. Alger’s recent article on Taft, which Roosevelt believes should be widely circulated. Roosevelt agrees Taft should give a number of big speeches in several states and earnestly wants Taft’s personality to be more evident. Regarding Governor Charles Evans Hughes, Roosevelt still thinks he should be renominated. He discusses the guaranty of bank deposits but can offer no advice on the subject.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-29
President Roosevelt advises William H. Taft on how to respond to religious attacks by the press.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-28
President Roosevelt believes it is unwise to give an interview to the newspaper. He agrees with William H. Taft’s opinion of the speeches given by J. S. Sherman and Secretary of State Elihu Root. Although he does not care for him, Roosevelt feels Governor Charles Evans Hughes should be renominated. Roosevelt wants Taft to show his personality and offers words of encouragement.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-24
President Roosevelt informs Representative Jenkins of his sincere support for the ship subsidy bill for the reasons he outlined in his messages to Congress and in speeches given by Secretary of State Elihu Root. He appreciates those congressmen who voted for the bill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-24
President Roosevelt understands there is an upcoming vacancy on the International Water Boundary Commission and that Mexican ambassador Enrique C. Creel would protest a particular member’s continued stay. At present, however, no such protest has been entered, and Secretary of State Elihu Root believes no change is necessary. Roosevelt inquires if there is another position to which Major Llewellyn would like to be appointed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-21
President Roosevelt conveys to Japanese ambassador Takahira his deep appreciation of the Japanese government’s informal notification of its rescheduling the international exposition. Roosevelt inquires if he can do anything to help make the exposition successful, as he feels it is an admirable project.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-20
President Roosevelt shares the same opinion as William H. Taft that governor Charles Evans Hughes should be renominated. Roosevelt feels that making a speech would do more harm than good. While William Jennings Bryan has a strong following for the “church vote,” Roosevelt believes Bryan’s approach is dangerous. He approves of Taft’s letter to John Wesley Hill and suggests that secretary of state Elihu Root review it before it is made public.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-18
President Roosevelt believes his brother-in-law, Douglas Robinson, is handling the details of a reception exactly as it should be handled. Roosevelt confirms the details of his trip to the dedication of a library in Herkimer, New York.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-12
President Roosevelt encourages William H. Taft to accept a substantial campaign contribution from William Nelson Cromwell, and to have him serve on an advisory board. Roosevelt points out that Elihu Root made a large contribution to his campaign in 1904, but that did not stop him from appointing Root Secretary of State when the opportunity arose.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-07
President Roosevelt has heard that Secretary of State Elihu Root and Secretary of Commerce and Labor Oscar S. Straus believe that the actions of Mary Mills Patrick and her associates in Constantinople are wrong. He has cabled Ambassador John George Alexander Leishman about the matter. The United States will not interfere in internal Turkish matters and will not threaten force unless it intends to use it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-24
President Roosevelt agrees with Columbia University President Nicholas Murray Butler’s ideas about monetary policy, but does not see how they could be implemented at the present. Members of Congress are entirely at odds about what to do, and those who wish to revise the tariff now want to do so simply to hurt the Republican Party. Roosevelt is not concerned about reluctance to support Secretary of War William H. Taft’s bid for the presidency as he believes people are even more reluctant to support other candidates. He is more worried at the suggestion that each party might choose a nominee who had not held high office before, as Roosevelt believes a president must have experience handling the many responsibilities of the government.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-24
President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Reid for keeping him updated on personal matters in the midst of his other work. He specifically mentions learning about George Macaulay Trevelyan from Algernon Charles Swinburne’s work, Songs Before Sunrise. Roosevelt is concerned about Secretary of State Elihu Root and believes turning smaller matters over to Assistant Secretary Robert Bacon has helped. Roosevelt is interested in Root’s and Reid’s opinions on British administration of Newfoundland.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-06
President Roosevelt updates Secretary of War Taft on his conversation with Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou in which he made clear that the nominee for president will be chosen based on what is best for the party. Men from various states have contacted Roosevelt attempting to convince him to run again and expressing whether they would support Taft. Evaluating the potential candidates, Roosevelt focuses on Governor Charles Evans Hughes, who is the biggest potential threat. Roosevelt says that Bishop Charles Henry Brent recently delivered a ridiculous sermon on the Philippines and that Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte has been doing well this summer despite his difficult work.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-03
President Roosevelt writes confidentially to Supreme Court Associate Justice Moody that he has read and enjoyed District Court Judge Charles Fremont Amidon’s address to the American Bar Association in support of the education of the courts. Roosevelt feels that John Marshall and Roger Brooke Taney differed primarily in their interpretation of the Constitution. Enclosed, Roosevelt sends a draft of his Saint Louis speech along with a letter from Alexander. If what Alexander has said is true, Roosevelt’s dislike of him may be wrong, and he asks Moody for a comment on the speech.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-03
President Roosevelt agrees with Attorney General Bonaparte on the appointment of Assistant Attorney General Marsden C. Burch in the Idaho land fraud case. On the New Mexico issue, Roosevelt details Attorney General William H. H. Llewellyn’s rise as an attorney. In light of Judge James H. Beatty’s letter, Roosevelt feels there is no need to be involved. Although Roosevelt does not trust rumors, it does seem based on recent behavior that Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis may be suffering a breakdown. In a post script, Roosevelt comments on William Randolph Hearst’s recent supposed sympathy toward Bonaparte after his siding with Wall Street. In Roosevelt’s view, the recurrent rumor about Bonaparte resigning to appease financiers has actually shown the public that Bonaparte alarms those who are corrupt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-31
President Roosevelt finds Attorney General Bonaparte’s letter to United States District Attorney N. M. Ruick admirable. Unfortunately, Francis J. Heney is unable to take the case. Roosevelt encloses a letter from Idaho Governor Frank Robert Gooding. The press has turned its attention to Secretary of State Elihu Root, who has been in poor health.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-27