Your TR Source
Theodore Roosevelt thanks John J. Hannahan for the kind references in his speech. After the election, Roosevelt would like to take a meal with Hannahan at the White House.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-14
President Roosevelt encloses in a letter to Speaker Cannon a letter he wrote to a Quaker to clarify his attitude towards Quakers. Roosevelt also addresses a recent New York Sun article that criticized his involvement with the laboring class. Roosevelt elaborates that the doors of the White House will “swing open as easily to wageworkers as to capitalists” and that he strives to represent all citizens.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-08-03
Nelson P. Webster reports to William Loeb on the appointment of William M. Johnson to the post of immigration inspector. As Johnson will be stationed in Laredo, Texas, Webster suggests that Commissioner of Immigration Frank P. Sargent be asked to help with Johnson’s travel expenses.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-23
President Roosevelt would be pleased to have dinner with the Ellis Island Commission and to have Arthur von Briesen meet Commissioner of Immigration for the Port of New York William Williams, Commissioner General of Immigration Frank P. Sargent, Secretary of Commerce and Labor George B. Cortelyou, and Commissioner of Corporations James Rudolph Garfield.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-11-05
President Roosevelt would like the results of the investigation soon so that he can use some of the results in his annual message. In a postscript, Roosevelt notes that Commissioner General of Immigration Frank P. Sargent says Anna Kerber will be hospitalized under special treatment.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-10-28
President Roosevelt would like Timothy Thomas Fortune to report to Commissioner General of Immigration Frank P. Sargent.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-03-16
Ralph M. Easley informs President Roosevelt that labor leader John Mitchell will be publishing a letter in the Mine Workers’ Journal next week which will repudiate the hand bill and telegram that are being circulated with an interview he did not endorse. Easley believes that this will lead to attacks on Samuel Gompers for violating instructions. Easley also reports that he has been given information that William H. Taft is being criticized on Catholic and Unitarian matters, although he is being defended by Homer C. Stuntz, who was in the Philippines during the Taft administration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-16
Acting Commissioner-General of Immigration Larned informs William Loeb that the report on the Japanese requested by President Roosevelt will be prepared as soon as possible. Larned sees no reason prohibiting the following of some Japanese immigrants “to find out what they really do.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-16
Ambassador Reid sends an addition to “the bundle of gossip” he recently sent to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, noting that this dispatch is a bit more serious and more likely to interest President Roosevelt with his description of a number of political events, in addition to more social fare.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-01
Marcus Braun updates William Loeb on the political situation in New York after a discussion the two men recently had. Braun believes Public Service Commissioner Frederick C. Stevens may be planning some kind of political scheme to “get the old gang back into power.” The situation is so upsetting to Braun that he has resigned from the Hungarian Republican Club, but he can rally his associates if the need arises. Braun shares a commendation he received for his work, but says a raise or promotion would have been more welcome to him and his family.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-17
Representative Cannon tells President Roosevelt that he is gratified by the kind tone of Frank P. Sargent’s letter and by the fact that Sargent seems to understand his attitude, though there are reports among railway laborers in Chicago that Cannon is unfriendly to railway brotherhoods. While Cannon believes there is value in organized labor, he does not agree with those who, following the lead of Samuel Gompers, seek class legislation and wish to blacklist those who do not agree. These, says Cannon, “are the worst enemies that organized labor can have.” Cannon thinks Gompers’s principal fight is against Roosevelt, yet the labor leader levels his attacks against those in the administration who are not quite as strong. Cannon reveals his campaign tour strategy for the coming months and discusses the local conditions he recently observed in Maine.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-14
Representative Sherman notifies William Loeb that he received Commissioner General Frank P. Sargent’s letter from Loeb, and now encloses the requested letter. Sherman also notes that he agrees with Sargent’s view on the wisdom of the chosen course.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
Maria Lydia Winkler unsuccessfully tried to arrange a meeting with President Roosevelt through the German embassy, but was encouraged by Commissioner General of Immigration Frank P. Sargent to contact Roosevelt through William Loeb. She shares an invitation of the German National Committee for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic to organize a similar committee in the United States and join the international congress. Many social purity societies in the United States have expressed their support for the plan, and Winkler hopes that a representative of the Bureau of Immigration would be allowed to be connected with the movement.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-31
Chairman of the Republican National Committee Cortelyou has received William Loeb’s note and the enclosed letter from Representative Frank Charles Wachter. Cortelyou disagrees with Wachter’s suggestion to have Commissioner General of Immigration Frank P. Sargent address the convention.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-03
President Roosevelt writes to Senator Lodge regarding the Anthracite Coal Strike, noting that at present he has not been able to find any methods that would allow the national government to influence the strike. Roosevelt compares the tariff and the strike by saying that in either case, if people are not able to get the goods they need, they will blame the government. Roosevelt explains in the postscript that he is done making tours for the year, and will not make more speeches until after the election.
Massachusetts Historical Society
1902-09-27
President Roosevelt tells Senator Lodge that after a second operation his leg seems to be recovering after his recent carriage accident. Roosevelt then reports on the situation with the Anthracite Coal Strike and his discussions with various parties. He plans to invite the mine operators to come speak with him in three or four days, requesting a good faith effort to come to an agreement with the miners. He will also meet with representatives from the coal miners at some point.
Massachusetts Historical Society
1902-09-30
At the opening session of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen convention, President Roosevelt praises railroad workers as possessing the necessary qualities of soldiers, including obedience, initiative, and the rugged, manly virtues that Roosevelt feels are threatened by modern luxuries. He argues that organized labor is wonderful, but only if it encourages individual improvement while working for the group, and he feels that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have historically exemplified this virtue. Roosevelt warns that the prosperity of modern progress also gives rise to new challenges. He insists that, just as certain soldierly qualities remain constant despite changes in arms or military tactics, laws and constitutions may change but the need for good citizens of honesty, courage, and common sense will always be necessary. Having just visited the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields, Roosevelt also praises the unified American spirit shared by men and women across the country, including immigrants.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-08
President Roosevelt thanks those assembled at the executive session of the convention but says he will reserve most of his remarks for the open session. He notes that when he was governor of New York, he had to deal with a lot of professional and trade associations, but he only felt he was truly able to meet the requests of the railroad workers as they had a natural common sense. Roosevelt expresses his great satisfaction with his appointment of former Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen head Frank P. Sargent to the position of Commissioner General of Immigration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-08
Secretary of Commerce and Labor Cortelyou has been investigating the Government Printing Office’s labor issues and what should be done regarding William A. Miller’s reinstatement into the office. Miller was dismissed from his position but the Civil Service Commission ordered his reinstatement, which could cause labor unrest. After consultations with Secretary of the Navy Moody, Cortelyou believes that President Roosevelt might best make the announcement of the reinstatement. He also recommends a further investigation into the Government Printing Office and will provide a full report to Roosevelt soon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-11
Frank P. Sargent, Commissioner General of Immigration, warns against an “undesirable foreign element” threatening the country which he describes as “ignorance, illiteracy, and indifference to government.” Sargent believes that present immigration laws provide inadequate protection and suggests that immigration be limited by the implementation of an educational test.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-07-18