Standard Oil Company

Letter from Frank B. Kellogg to George Rumsey Sheldon

Frank B. Kellogg, a member of the Republican National Committee, writes to Republican National Committee Treasurer George Rumsey Sheldon protesting the acceptance of money from the trusts and those who run them. In particular he lists the Standard Oil Company, the Union and Southern Pacific railroads, and the Powder Trust, and names the men he knows who are associated with them. He states that it would be wrong for the Republican Party to take money from any trust when these same trusts are violating the law.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-21

Letter from Douglas Robinson to William Loeb

In response to William Loeb’s letter, Douglas Robinson explains that he does not have any affiliation with Governor Charles Nathaniel Haskel of Oklahoma, or anyone associated with Standard Oil. Robinson briefly knew William Rockefeller, but it was displeasing.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-22

Letter from William H. Taft to Frank H. Hitchcock

William H. Taft writes to Chairman of the Republican National Committee Hitchcock to ask for the resignations of both Treasurer of the Republican National Committee George Rumsey Sheldon and Head of the Speaker’s Bureau T. Coleman DuPont, on the grounds that Sheldon solicited funds from trust affiliates and DuPont is currently involved in a trust suit. He suggests possible replacements for DuPont, and asks for a system of campaign funding that solicits small subscriptions through western cities.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-22

Letter from William L. Ward to Theodore Roosevelt

William L. Ward tells President Roosevelt that Governor Charles Evans Hughes of New York will only speak at his own events and not at those with William H. Taft. Ward hopes Roosevelt has tackled the situation with T. Coleman Du Pont of the Speakers Bureau, and reports that Treasurer of the Republican National Committee George Rumsey Sheldon will follow directions regarding Standard Oil.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-22

Letter from Frank B. Kellogg to Theodore Roosevelt

Frank B. Kellogg of the Republican National Committee sends President Roosevelt a copy of his letter to Treasurer of the Republican National Committee George Rumsey Sheldon. Kellogg has raised the issue of contributions from trusts with Sheldon, as have William H. Taft and and William Loeb, but Sheldon continues his behavior. If John D. Archbold spoke out about the solicitation, it would cause problems for the campaign. Kellogg has already told this to the Executive Committee, and now writes to Roosevelt with all the facts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-23

Letter from William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt

William Jennings Bryan responds to President Roosevelt’s letter by defending Governor Charles Nathaniel Haskell’s record as a politician, and by critiquing the past campaign contributions for Governor Charles Evans Hughes. Bryan compares the Democratic and Republican party platforms, the attitudes of trust leaders towards the presidential candidates, and the publicity and funding for the two opposing campaigns. Ethically, Bryan believes it is wrong for Roosevelt to use his position as president to influence the choosing of his successor instead of letting the candidate achieve success on merit.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-26

Letter from Arthur W. Weed to Douglas Robinson

Arthur W. Weed, secretary and assistant treasurer at Douglas Robinson, Charles S. Brown and Co., details the facts of a case concerning rent payment by Oklahoma Governor Charles Nathaniel Haskell and Joseph R. Megrue using stock in Standard Oil.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-26

Letter from William Jennings Bryan to Theodore Roosevelt

William Jennings Bryan responds to President Roosevelt’s accusations against Governor Charles Nathaniel Haskell and the Democratic party itself for connection with the trusts, in political support and in campaign donations. Bryan questions Roosevelt’s actions in letting a steel trust absorb a rival and refutes his statements on contributions during the 1896 campaign. Challenging Roosevelt’s opposition to the publication of campaign contributions before the election, Bryan argues that the voters have a right to know if William H. Taft has been supported by financiers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-29

Letter from Jonathan Bourne to Theodore Roosevelt

Jonathan Bourne believes that a settlement of the Standard Oil matter will be made through the executives—President Roosevelt, Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte, and John D. Archbold—and not through the attorneys for the government and the company. Bourne agrees that working through him is inadvisable at this point, but he takes credit for having started negotiations and for convincing Archbold and others that Roosevelt would be fair to both labor and capital.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-07

Letter from Alston Gordon Dayton to Theodore Roosevelt

Judge Dayton assures President Roosevelt that the three delegates from West Virginia will not bolt, but vote for Secretary of War William H. Taft per their instructions. West Virginia Governor William Mercer Owens Dawson is corrupt, and Roosevelt should not trust him as a source of information. Although the West Virginia delegates are loyal, Dayton warns that business interests in New York are planning to incite a stampede in his favor at the convention.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-05-30

Letter from John Burroughs to Theodore Roosevelt

John Burroughs appreciates Theodore Roosevelt’s recent message to Congress. Ever since Burroughs read Lloyd’s “Health Against Commonwealth,” the Standard Oil Company has been a special hatred of his. Burroughs wishes that “big scoundrels” would be punished adequately and bemoans the fact that Roosevelt will not take a third term, as this would make their lives “so miserable.” Burroughs further discusses immigration and tariffs, as well as his recommendations for the Republican Party.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-08

Letter from John Appleton Stewart to Theodore Roosevelt

John Appleton Stewart has received information from a friend in publishing that many copies are already circulating of the pamphlet “The Roosevelt Panic of 1907” and Chancellor James Roscoe Day’s book The Raid on Prosperity. Large sums of money are being spent on disparaging advertising in magazines such as Business Men’s Magazine of Chicago. Stewart’s friend also left him a copy of Francis A. Adams’s book on Roosevelt, and asked for editorial advice. The New York Press refers to Stewart as a “third termer,” to which he takes exception. If he is in Washington, D.C., he would like to bring the publisher friend to speak to Roosevelt in person.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-26

Letter from Henry Clay Frick to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Clay Frick and Elbert H. Gary have an idea for how to handle the antitrust suit against the Standard Oil Company, which Frick maintains is contributing to the current financial insecurity in the United States, and would like to discuss the matter with President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-30

Message from Medill McCormick

Medill McCormick has said there is a belief that the Standard Oil Company controls the paper trust, which would be significant if true.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11

Letter from Frank B. Kellogg to William Loeb

Fearing a misunderstanding, Frank B. Kellogg writes to clarify his previous statements regarding his source of information concerning Judge William Lochren’s resignation. Additionally, while appreciative of William Loeb’s kind words and President Roosevelt’s confidence, he apologizes for making it sound as if he would succeed Lochren. Kellogg does not want the position because it interferes with his current professional cases and future aspirations. He hopes to visit Washington D.C., soon and wants to see Loeb.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-08

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge is glad President Roosevelt approves of his statements at Malden and that they agree on Clifford Anderson Lanier’s comments. Louis Curtis recently expressed a positive outlook on Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou’s policies regarding stock speculation. Lodge touches on the difficulty with Henry K. Daugherty, the whiskey blenders, and the Standard Oil letters before discussing his feelings on Roosevelt’s term of office. Although he feels Roosevelt must stick to his word, Lodge wishes Roosevelt could run again and continue his service to the country. Lodge assesses support for Secretary of War William H. Taft, especially in relation to Governor Charles Evans Hughes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-24

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Edwin Walter Sims

The Department of Justice sends United States Attorney Edwin Walter Sims instructions on how to proceed in his upcoming cases concerning interstate commerce.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-21

Letter from William H. Taft to William Loeb

Secretary of War Taft introduces William Loeb to Ralph M. Shaw, a lawyer for the Chicago and Alton Railroad who he thinks President Roosevelt should meet. Taft believes the evidence Shaw can present may merit the postponement of the grand jury in the case until all the facts can be considered.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-07

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft informs President Roosevelt he wrote a letter to William Loeb introducing Ralph M. Shaw, a Chicago lawyer. Taft wants Roosevelt to meet Shaw and discuss the Standard Oil Company as it relates to the Chicago and Alton Railroad case, as Taft believes the evidence may merit the postponement of the grand jury in the case until all the facts can be considered.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-07

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge shares with President Roosevelt the points he went over with Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley and District Attorney Asa P. French regarding the investigation of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company and Charlie Morse’s supposed steamship monopoly deal. Lodge discusses his concerns about the severe decline in stocks, the possibility of a financial panic, and the potential impact on future election results.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-12