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Thomas C. Day expresses to Theodore Roosevelt his belief in Roosevelt’s integrity and sincerity, urging him to respond to attacks published in the Indianapolis Daily News by Delavan Smith in order to defend himself and reassure his supporters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-10
President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit that Secretary of War William H. Taft’s victory in the presidential election seems assured, despite the American Protective Association’s movement among Protestants who are against Taft because he is Unitarian. Roosevelt also lashes out at some of the newspaper men he says spread lies. He closes by saying he was interested in Kermit’s letter to Mother.
1908-10-24
Thomas C. Day tells Theodore Roosevelt he would never respond to an attack from Delavan Smith, publisher of the Indianapolis Daily News. Day has the “heartiest contempt” for publishing men like Smith and Joseph Pulitzer. Day plans to publish his own article about Panama in The Outlook soon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-09-22
President Roosevelt thanks William Dudley Foulke for the letter, and would like him to help if the government is able to pursue a libel suit against Delavan Smith. Roosevelt asks Foulke to tell Richard Henry Dana that Roosevelt does not dislike him, but rather holds him in high regard.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-22
President Roosevelt thanks Lawrence F. Abbott for sending him proofs of the articles that he has written. He will send Abbott two more articles to review. Roosevelt would appreciate if the offices of The Outlook would handle his mail while he is on safari in Africa, as he does not wish to answer letters while he is there. Roosevelt is glad that Abbott likes what he wrote about Delavan Smith, William MacKay Laffan, “and company,” and comments on the strangeness of journalism and colleges of journalism.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-08
President Roosevelt has decided to speak out about Delavan Smith in another way. He now believes that a sentence he wrote to Russell B. Harrison on the matter was unwarranted. Roosevelt asks if Harrison would return the letter, if he still has it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-07
President Roosevelt acknowledges receipt of William Dudley Foulke’s letter and does not have anything to add to it. Roosevelt announces the classification of all fourth class post offices in Eastern and North Central states, as he thinks it would be good to get it done as soon as possible. He also returns a letter regarding Delevan Smith, and asks that Foulke wait to publish it until after his message goes to Congress.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-02
President Roosevelt believes the statements made by Delevan Smith in the Indianapolis News are patently false, and that refuting them will bring them undue attention. Because William Dudley Foulke insists that a reply be made, however, Roosevelt writes to refute the charges of a scandal involved in the purchasing of the Panama Canal zone from France. Roosevelt particularly refutes the charge that the affair has not been transparent, as documents related to it have been freely available. Roosevelt has refuted other false charges leveled against his administration, but the newspapers continue to print them, so he doubts whether his denial will be effective.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-01
President Roosevelt asks Russell B. Harrison to keep the letter about Delevan Smith to himself. He also says that he did not know that Harrison wanted to be appointed to a position, and wishes he had mentioned it sooner.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-19
President Roosevelt thanks William Dudley Foulke for recounting his phone conversation with the editor Delavan Smith. He agrees with advice from Foulke and Lucius B. Swift that he should not take any public notice of Smith and others like him. He is sorry that Swift cannot come see him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-09
President Roosevelt is pleased that he and Lucius B. Swift share the view that the editor Delavan Smith and others like him should be ignored.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-07
President Roosevelt requests that Russell B. Harrison not show his letter to Delavan Smith to anyone but Smith.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-07
President Roosevelt informs William Dudley Foulke that Lucius B. Swift does not believe that he should respond to falsehoods by Delavan Smith. Roosevelt agrees and notes that Smith knew that he was lying about the Panama controversy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-07
President Roosevelt is glad to hear Russell B. Harrison’s views on the chances in Indiana. He also says that Delavan Smith of the Indianapolis News is a “lying blackguard” who is behaving exactly as he expected. He notes the relationship between Smith and the financier Daniel G. Reid.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-02
While President Roosevelt agrees with William Dudley Foulke that Delavan Smith of the Indianapolis News is bad, the publishers of the New York Sun, New York World, and Evening Post are just as bad or worse. Certain newspapers publish so many lies about Roosevelt that if he were to respond to all of them, he would spend most of his time refuting lies. Roosevelt outlines several lies that have been printed about him in various papers, and invites Foulke to visit and look over the papers that prove them false. Roosevelt would like to speak with Foulke and Lucius B. Swift about whether or not he should respond to Smith and other publishers like him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-30
President Roosevelt does not think there is any use in publishing the letter. However, he hopes that William Dudley Foulke and Lucius B. Swift will visit after the election to discuss if it is worth writing a letter to settle the matter. In such a letter, Roosevelt would take on all of the newspaper editors he takes issue with at once.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-26
President Roosevelt believes that the political situation has changed in William H. Taft’s favor since he last wrote Kermit Roosevelt. He does not understand the movement of the “ultra Protestant bigots” of the American Protective Association against Taft. He thinks that it may cost them Ohio and Indiana. Roosevelt also complains about various newspaper men from the New York Sun, New York Evening Post, Indianapolis News, and others.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-24
President Roosevelt responds to William Dudley Foulke’s request to call the Indianapolis News to account for the falsehoods they are spreading. Roosevelt explains that he does not believe it will do any good, because the paper is simply on par with other papers like the New York World, New York Sun, and New York Evening Post. Such papers will simply repeat their falsehoods and spread new ones if they are corrected. Roosevelt believes that it is useless to deny false stories in the news because papers do not attempt to prove their assertions. In particular, Roosevelt mentions false stories about his raising campaign funds and the purchase of the Panama Canal.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-24
President Roosevelt explains to William Dudley Foulke that he does not think that it is worth responding to the three false editorials in the Indianapolis News. This paper, under editor Delavan Smith, is just as bad as the New York Sun and New York Evening Post. Roosevelt refutes these editorials, but does not think it is worth making public; if he were to deny all of the falsehoods and stories based on rumors that were printed about him, it would take him all day, every day.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-24
Russell B. Harrison has received President Roosevelt’s request for him to return a letter concerning Delevan Smith, and does so with haste. Harrison says that he has treated the letter as a private communication, as Roosevelt requested. He explains his recommendation that the letter not be shown to Smith, as he owns a newspaper which could potentially attack Roosevelt. Harrison and other Indiana Republicans have been disgusted by the actions of the Indianapolis News. Harrison regrets that he did not mention his desire for a position at a time when he needed one, but he wanted the suggestion to come from Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-09