Smith, Charles Emory, 1842-1908

John Bell Brownlow explains to President Roosevelt how he came to be the representative of the Post Office Department on the U.S. Government Board of Management of several expositions. After serving well, Brownlow suddenly learned that then-Postmaster General Henry C. Payne was displeased with his work due to false statements against him. Brownlow was subsequently investigated on his own request to prove the falseness of the statements against him, but while the investigations seem to have vindicated him he has been negatively impacted by being excluded from the Portland board. He asks Roosevelt to consider the matter and review the inspections, which show that his record is clean.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-28

Edward B. M. Browne informs Elihu Root that he is now an open opponent to President Roosevelt in the 1904 campaign for President. Browne insists that Roosevelt “hates the Jews” and that he can prove that Roosevelt protected Smith, Payne, and others. Browne also suggests that several of Roosevelt’s “friends” really want him to be defeated. Browne has sent letters to General James Sullivan Clarkson concerning Roosevelt, and he urges Root to phone Clarkson to see those letters, as the “campaign of 1904 may depend upon your and General Clarkson’s actions in the matter.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-08

As requested, Secretary of State Hay has written a reply to Charles Emory Smith’s letter and is returning it to President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-05-24

James Bruns explores the use of motorized vehicles–electric, steam, and gasoline powered–to deliver mail in major American cities in place of horse drawn wagons. Many of these experiments began with postmasters appointed by Theodore Roosevelt. Bruns examines the use of trucks in cities such as Detroit, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., and he notes the various manufacturers who competed to have their vehicles tested. Bruns reports that many of the tests were conducted during the busy Christmas season.

Eleven photographs of various motorized delivery vehicles populate the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Various prominent citizens including, President Roosevelt and multiple senators, justices, and cabinet members, state their support of endowing a department of political science in Western Reserve University in memory of the late Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-27

President Roosevelt thanks Senator Lodge for his letters and asks him to write as often as possible, as he feels out of touch with politics. He is exhausted from all his activities in San Francisco. He will take up the Post Office matter as soon as he gets back, and asks to hear Lodge’s thoughts on the matter.

Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society

Creation Date

1903-05-13

Composite photograph showing President Roosevelt with members of his cabinet seated and standing around a table.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1901-11-16

Photograph of President Roosevelt with black ink portraits of his eight Cabinet members. On the second page are five black and white photographs of William McKinley’s casket traveling from the Milburn residence to the city hall of Buffalo, New York.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1901

Lawrence F. Abbott clarifies that a reference to ex-Postmaster General, which was made in an article in The Outlook about the Post Office fraud case, was in reference to James N. Tyner. Abbott plans to include information from President Roosevelt’s letter, about the publication of the Post Office report, in the next edition of the magazine. Abbott is awaiting the decision concerning Leonard Wood’s promotion to major general.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-12-14

Charles J. Bonaparte and Holmes Conrad, Special assistants to the Attorney General, submit a supplementary report regarding accusations by Postmaster John A. Merritt against Seymour Wilcox Tulloch, who, for many years, was cashier of the Washington Post Office and Secretary of the United States Electric Light Company, which gave the appearance of a conflict of interest. In their opinion, Merritt’s charges against Tulloch were unsubstantiated. They pointed out, however, that several questionable postal practices should be discontinued.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-11

Attorney Charles J. Bonaparte addresses the legal investigation into the actions of Baltimore Postal Service employees. Bonaparte writes of his correspondence with Holmes Conrad and Charles Emory Smith and discusses the Bristow Report, John A. Merritt’s charges against Seymour Wilcox Tulloch, and the case of Comptroller Robert J. Tracewell. Bonaparte also expresses his disappointment regarding the Democratic win in the Maryland election, drawing a comparison to the election of 1899, when Arthur P. Gorman lost to Louis E. McComas.

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Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Charles J. Bonaparte, the attorney investigating the Post Office scandal of 1898-1900, discusses the report and potential charges implicating Comptroller Robert J. Tracewell. The Post Office investigation exposed the personal use of public funds by Perry S. Heath, whom Bonaparte believes to be essentially dishonest. Tracewell’s offenses did not rise to that level. Bonaparte suggests amending the report based on letters received from Postmasters John A. Merritt and Charles Emory Smith.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-26

Joseph L. Bristow writes to President Roosevelt regarding the fraud investigation within the Post Office Department, and he encloses a memorandum from Ex-Postmaster General Smith.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-20

A published copy of a letter in which Charles Emory Smith defends his administration of the Post Office Department, particularly the classification of employees involved in rural free delivery.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-07-14

Henry C. Payne thanks President Roosevelt for sending a copy of the letter that Roosevelt sent to former Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith and for the kind words that Roosevelt said about Payne in the letter. Payne is shocked about newspaper articles written in the Chicago Tribune regarding Smith and President William McKinley.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06-22

Newspaper article faulting Postmaster General Payne for shifting blame onto President McKinley and Postmaster General Smith for the irregularities at the Washington, D.C., post office. Perry Heath is responsible for the irregularities and bringing McKinley and Smith into the issue is “in vile taste.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06-19

E. F. Loud clarifies his statement regarding the investigations at the Post Office Department.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-05-05

Charles Emory Smith commented on the 1904 presidential election and posited that Senator Hanna is the only Republican that could challenge President Roosevelt. However, Smith does not expect Hanna to be a candidate. Roosevelt is popular in Kansas but certain professional politicians may oppose his nomination.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-04

Mr. Erdman’s application to be consul at Breslau, Germany has been put on file. Despite Mr. Cridler’s statements, the current incumbent at Breslau, Ernest A. Man, was appointed by William McKinley with the support of Charles Emory Smith.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-04-16

Captain Clark has been informed by Charles Emory Smith that his name was brought up during a Cabinet meeting in reference to a potential appointment.  Clark is grateful for the honor but feels that his lack of experience with the “ceremonials at courts or in foreign capitals” could make securing the appointment difficult.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-01-19