Your TR Source
President Roosevelt thanks Frederick A. Lane for the gift of former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story’s work Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States. Roosevelt appreciates the gift, and additionally thanks Lane for having sketched Roosevelt’s coat-of-arms on the title page, and for having remembered his birthday.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-12
Judge Speer encloses a list of United States judges who will likely be appointed by Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan. He explains to President Roosevelt the ramifications of having Bryan potentially nominating a large number of justices to federal courts at various levels. The Bryan judges would likely jeopardize peonage laws and the Employers Liability Act, among other things. Democrat-appointed judges would shift jurisprudence to favor states’ rights over federal authority.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-26
In this magazine article, John Bassett Moore discusses the concept of expatriation. In the early days of the American republic, the government inherited the idea of “indefeasible allegiance” from English common law, which was maintained for some time. The first Secretary of State to announce the doctrine of expatriation was James Buchanan, who believed it was the duty of America to protect naturalized and native citizens exactly the same. This opinion was not adopted by subsequent secretaries of state until Buchanan was president, and did not become law in the United States until July 1868. Since 1872, the United States has tried to secure naturalization treaties with all countries. Moore concludes his article discussing an incorrect impression about expatriation. Some people believe a declaration of intention to become an American citizen brings about the same protection as a citizen, which Moore firmly states is “altogether erroneous.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12