Statehood (American politics)

Telegram from Sims Ely to Theodore Roosevelt

Sims Ely informs Theodore Roosevelt the Democratic papers in Arizona misrepresented Roosevelt’s speech in Pueblo, Colorado, as an endorsement of the initiative, referendum, and recall. These issues are part of the Democratic campaign for the Arizona constitution and are opposed by the Republican party, which supports direct primaries and senatorial elections. Ely asks Roosevelt for a statement clarifying these issues.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-08-30

Letter from George H. Kinkel to Theodore Roosevelt

George H. Kinkel thanks Theodore Roosevelt for the portrait he presented to the Chapman Lodge, which they value deeply. On a personal note, Kinkel was disappointed Roosevelt could not visit New Mexico. He believes that no one else living outside of the West fully understands and responds to the sentiments and needs of the West than Roosevelt does.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-09-03

Letter from Dwight B. Heard to Theodore Roosevelt

Dwight B. Heard received Theodore Roosevelt’s letter and assures him that the progressive element of the Republican party in Arizona will be guided by the common sense he suggested in drafting a constitution. He was selected as a delegate to the convention and encloses a copy of his platform. The Democrats strongly favor the initiative, referendum, and recall, whereas the Republicans do not. Heard asks Roosevelt for comments on the matter. John P. Orme authorized Heard to defer opening the Roosevelt Dam until June.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-08-17

Telegram from Yavapai Club to Theodore Roosevelt

The Yavapai Club from Prescott, Arizona, welcomes Theodore Roosevelt home from abroad. They note that Roosevelt’s return coincides with Arizona becoming a state.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-06-19

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

President-Elect Taft explains his positions on the New Mexico and Arizona statehood bills and the postal savings bank bill to President Roosevelt. Assuming that the bills have gone through the proper processes, Taft has no problems signing them into law but does not think it will be possible in such a short session.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-21

Letter from Charles W. Fairbanks to Theodore Roosevelt

Vice President Fairbanks tells President Roosevelt that if he can see him sometime on Wednesday, he will run in and see him about the bill to admit Arizona and New Mexico as states.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-23

Letter from George Curry to William Loeb

New Mexico Governor Curry warns William Loeb of corporate and political efforts to portray President Roosevelt’s administration and the Rough Riders negatively in the press. He recommends sending a pro-Roosevelt delegation to avoid reactionary support of Governor Charles Evans Hughes. Curry is awaiting instructions from President Roosevelt for scheduling the convention, and intends on continuing with his plan of not including federal office holders as representatives of the delegation. He adds that while David J. Leahy’s appointment as the new United States Attorney of New Mexico went smoothly, Curry is figuring out what should be done with Morgan Llewellyn, the Surveyor General of New Mexico. Curry will recommend his resignation if it is too embarrassing for President Roosevelt. He notes that Delegate William H. Andrews has introduced a statehood bill for New Mexico, and he will probably go with the committee.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-04

Letter from Cicero A. Skeen to Theodore Roosevelt

Cicero A. Skeen thanks President Roosevelt for his support of Oklahoma statehood. In gratitude, Skeen has sent a bottle of molasses made from sugarcane grown on his farm using materials supplied by other residents of Oklahoma and the former Indian Territories.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-18

Letter from Albert J. Beveridge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Beveridge defends his support of proposed child labor legislation to President Roosevelt, believing that organized labor would be “militarily” supportive of the bill. He also argues, in response to Roosevelt’s doubts, that the text of the bill is well worked out and could be easily interpreted and applied by courts, basing his assessment on his own successful legal career. Beveridge acknowledges that he had been too caught up in recent statehood debates and arguments over the Philippines to make the necessary legal defenses for the legislation on the Senate floor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-19

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge and President Roosevelt share similar opinions on the proposed Oklahoma constitution, with Lodge being particularly concerned about one provision which would “destroy representative government,” should it be allowed to pass. Lodge suggests that putting the constitution before Congress would be enough to change the provision. Lodge is thrilled by Governor Curtis Guild’s massive win in the recent Massachusetts gubernatorial election, but is concerned about how many votes the Independence Party candidate received.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-07

Letter from Edward Kent to Theodore Roosevelt

Arizona Territorial Chief Justice Kent thanks President Roosevelt for his stance on separate statehood for Arizona and New Mexico. Kent is hopeful that Roosevelt can persuade Congress to pass statehood legislation in the current session. Kent also believes that Arizona, should it become a state, would likely vote for Roosevelt, Territorial Governor Joseph H. Kibbey, and other Republican legislators, in the upcoming elections.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-26

Letter from Charles E. Arnold to Charles Phelps Taft

Charles E. Arnold informs Charles Phelps Taft that Arizona will not send an instructed delegation favorable to Secretary of War Taft to the Republican National Convention unless President Roosevelt assures them that the upcoming congressional session will not discuss joint statehood with New Mexico. Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield, Frank H. Hitchcock, and Arthur I. Vorys, Taft’s campaign manager, have promised to help, and Arnold hopes Charles Phelps Taft can as well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-15

Letter from Ben Daniels to Theodore Roosevelt

As his friend, United States Marshal Daniels advises President Roosevelt that if he appoints a governor of the Arizona Territory who supported joint statehood with New Mexico Territory, Daniels is certain the territory’s delegation will support Roosevelt’s presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention. The same cannot be said if the gubernatorial candidate is from the party opposed to joint statehood.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-16

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft updates President Roosevelt with his thoughts about various topics: who to nominate for postmasterships in New York; Senator Borah’s land fraud case; the proposed constitution for Oklahoma in preparation for admittance to the union; the schedule and itinerary for a series of campaign speeches through the Midwest and West; and the address he is preparing concerning the Brownsville Affair. Taft lays out his thoughts concerning the differences between Roosevelt and the likely Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan’s political philosophies, in particular how they view the accumulation of wealth by individuals and interstate corporations, especially railroads.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-16

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte updates President Roosevelt on several matters before him. Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley has been investigating the situation in Alabama, where Bonaparte deems it necessary for Roosevelt to “call down” several politicians who are complicating judicial confirmations and the workings of the attorney general’s office with concerns over political patronage. In Arkansas, Cooley reports that there are many well qualified men to replace Assistant District Attorney Ulysses S. Bratton, who has been involved in improper conduct in a case involving postal inspectors. Bonaparte has recently met with Census Director S. N. D. North and explains the problems he has encountered with obtaining an accurate census of Oklahoma Territory, resulting in problems with representation of citizens there, and makes recommendations to solve the problem. Bonaparte has requested summaries for the injunction regarding the picketing of the Allis Chalmers company in Wisconsin, and is appointing a special counsel to take charge of litigation against a prominent official there. Bonaparte is ready to move against the Tobacco Trust and James Buchanan Duke.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-18

Letter from Albert J. Beveridge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Beveridge writes to President Roosevelt that if Arizona Territorial Governor Joseph H. Kibbey is removed, the joint statehood of New Mexico and Arizona could move forward. Kibbey and his associates do not support statehood and charges have been filed against Kibbey for the misuse of proxies in voting. Beveridge writes that Kibbey is also spreading false rumors that Roosevelt is against statehood.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-20

Letter from William H. Andrews to William Loeb

William H. Andrews encloses for William Loeb the call for a joint statehood convention that will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. The intention is for all parties to stand together in favor of statehood, and Andrews has urged them all to endorse Theodore Roosevelt and thank him for all he has done.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-14

Letter from O. D. M. Gaddis to William H. Andrews

Postmaster Gaddis writes to Representative Andrews about F. W. Smith who is Postmaster in Williams and was a representative in the Republican Convention who unseated the delegation for statehood. Gaddis calls Smith “unworthy,” a “traitor,” and “an Oaks and Frank Murphy man,” and asks that Andrews see that Smith does not get reappointed by President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-10

Letter from O. D. M. Gaddis to William H. Andrews

Postmaster Gaddis is dismayed by a recently published interview with John Lorenzo Hubbell, a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. Gaddis expects it to be reprinted across Arizona and used by the opposition.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-11

Letter from William H. Andrews to William Loeb

William H. Andrews conveys to William Loeb his feeling that Governor Herbert Hagerman of the New Mexico Territory is trying to “make trouble for us” by hinting at an investigation of Holm O. Bursum and the financial records of a penitentiary. Andrews asserts that Bursum has done no wrong. Regarding Arizona’s bid for statehood, Andrews wrote to approximately 100 Rough Riders there; most are loyal to the President, but a dozen or so responded negatively. Governor Joseph Kibbey of Arizona is “out to defeat joint statehood,” but if Wilson is appointed in Kibbey’s place, Andrews feels statehood would carry in Arizona.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-08