Scrymser, James Alexander, 1839-1918

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt tells Secretary of War Taft that General Hamilton Smith Hawkins and his family have had “more than enough” favors in their details already. He encloses a confidential letter from Stevens. He also encloses a letter from Theodore P. Shonts regarding James Alexander Scrymser’s telegraph company. Roosevelt and Secretary of State Elihu Root both disagree with Shonts that the telegraph industry should be “thrown open to all people.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Theodore P. Shonts

President Roosevelt asks Isthmian Canal Commission Chairman Shonts if he has looked into the issue regarding the Central and South America Telegraph Company raised in James Alexander Scrymser’s recent letter. Roosevelt thinks that Scrymser may be just, but he is not familiar enough with the situation to be certain.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Christine Griffin Kean Roosevelt

President Roosevelt tells Christine Griffin Kean Roosevelt (wife of his cousin Emlen) that he hopes she approves of the way he used the Nobel Prize cash award. Roosevelt notes that after he got past his anger over the Maria Longworth Storer incident, that he found the situation amusing. He reports that he is taking up James Alexander Scrymser’s application with “the Departments,” and that he has had a difficult time getting businessmen and bankers to agree upon currency legislation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt was not impressed with James Alexander Scrymser and felt he was simply trying to interfere with a rival.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt does not think a government cable between the United States and the Philippines is desirable. A private company has submitted a proposition to lay a cable and if James Alexander Scrymser or any one else wants to talk about the matter they should do so without delay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft encloses a report by Brigadier General James Allen regarding James Alexander Scrymser’s telegram about the telecommunication cable. Taft thinks the cable should be built with proper conditions, but that President Roosevelt should tell Scrymser that he is only willing to grant the landing rights subject to conditions that Roosevelt deems reasonable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-26

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt explains to President Roosevelt that they have decided to lay the cable and would like to have it finished before hurricane season. Laying this cable is in line with the War Department’s vision for better communication between the Panama Canal and Washington D.C.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, William Emlen, 1857-1930

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt thanks President Roosevelt for his actions on “the Peruvian matter” and informs him of the death of Henry Norris.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, William Emlen, 1857-1930

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt encloses a copy of a letter from James Alexander Scrymser to Secretary of State John Hay. He does not believe the American government should subsidize foreign cables, but it is important to sustain communication with Central and South America.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, William Emlen, 1857-1930

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt sends William Emlen Roosevelt some letters from George W. Goethals for him to read and return. Secretary of State Root is of the opinion that James Alexander Scrymser is impossible to deal with because of the frequent haggling, but Roosevelt thinks that Goethals’s proposals were reasonable.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt tells his cousin Emlen Roosevelt that he wrote to him what he did to try to head off possible accusations that he was “acting for a go-between for a company in which my cousin was interested and the War Department.” He tells Roosevelt that he is working on the post office matter that Dr. McLane is concerned with, but wishes that McLane would contact Congressman Hill himself. Roosevelt wishes he could hear about Roosevelt’s sons, and comments on how his own family is doing.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt sends Emlen Roosevelt a report from Brigadier General James Allen regarding James Alexander Scrymser’s letter. Roosevelt believes it is better for Scrymser to communicate directly through the War Department instead of through him. Roosevelt thinks that the War Department knows that in technical matters such as the one concerning Scrymser, he will likely support its judgment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt has spoken to Secretary of State John Hay about the matter William Emlen Roosevelt brought to his attention concerning James Alexander Scrymser’s recommendations. The president informs William Emlen Roosevelt Hay has wired the Peruvian authorities and inquires if that is satisfactory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-16

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of War Taft to look over the enclosed materials and then speak with William Emlen Roosevelt and James Alexander Scrymser, along with a representative of the State Department. The materials discuss a dispute between Scrymser’s company and Clarence H. Mackay’s company, and while Roosevelt has not investigated the matter in any depth, he is inclined to believe Mackay’s company was in the right.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Hay

President Roosevelt has explained repeatedly to James Alexander Scrymser and William Emlen Roosevelt that the action was taken according to Roosevelt’s direction. Roosevelt also asks Secretary of State Hay if treaty negotiations with Panama are happening currently. Roosevelt was pleased with the story of a Japanese squad of enlisted men who felt lost when Chinese officials wanted “to treat them as conquerors and pay them with honor.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Hay

Theodore Roosevelt forwards a letter from William Emlen Roosevelt regarding the Central and South American Telegraph Company. Roosevelt believes a lengthy discussion will be needed upon return to Washington.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Grimes Walker

President Roosevelt sends Rear Admiral Walker a petition from the Central and South American Telegraph Company and a letter from the Attorney General. Roosevelt would like to know why Scrymser’s offer to send government messages at 40 cents (gold) per word was not taken.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt sent the printed petition and the letter from the Attorney General about James Scrymser’s offer to Admiral Walker for an immediate report. Roosevelt will send William Emlen Roosevelt a copy of the letter that Roosevelt wrote Senator Lodge. Scrymser spoke of the agreement of October 14 and expects the Department of State to protect the rights of his company.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt writes to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge about a complicated issue the State Department is facing, regarding whether or not it should arbitrate a contract dispute between two American telegraph companies in Panama. Roosevelt does not believe that diplomatic intervention from the Department of State is appropriate in this situation, because the dispute is between two American companies.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-16

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt returns letters from George W. Goethals to President Roosevelt. He is sorry for the sentiment that seems to be against James Alexander Scrymser, and does not think that there is any right in the demand of the railroad to have access to thousands of miles of cable in return for laying only a few miles of cable across Panama. William Emlen Roosevelt is sorry he only caught a short glimpse of President Roosevelt while he was in Washington, and wishes that he could have spoken with him to better understand his views on some subjects. He was very pleased about what Roosevelt said about Philip J. Roosevelt’s poem. William Emlen Roosevelt has not focused on the poem at great length, as Philip is somewhat ashamed of the amount of notice it has attracted, but Roosevelt would be pleased if Philip developed his writing ability.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, William Emlen, 1857-1930