Your TR Source
Extracts from numerous letters address the need to act against the ills of the day, including political corruption, partisanship, influence of money in elections, and the attack on democratic electoral principals.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-02-24
Celia Baldwin Whitehead critiques a recent speech by Theodore Roosevelt dedicating a park to the memory of John Brown. Roosevelt’s speech, while dedicating a park to Brown, does not mention him much, which Whitehead reflects on. She further compares Roosevelt’s handling of trusts and special interests to be similar to that of Abraham Lincoln handling the problem of slavery, and muses that, just as Lincoln ultimately came to the conclusion that the only way to control slavery was to kill it, whether Roosevelt will come to the conclusion that the only way to control trusts will be for the government to own them.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-02-24
A federal grand jury is investigating the General Electric Company and subsidiaries, and some evidence points to the companies being controlled by the “Electric Trust.” The investigation is believed to have been ordered by President Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-19
President Roosevelt holds a vicious-looking dog labeled “federal law” as men labeled “corporation,” “business,” “combination,” “wealth,” and “enterprise” run away or hide. Caption: President Roosevelt — “Don’t be afraid, gentlemen; he will hurt only the crooks.”
The second term of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency represents a period of reform that was unprecedented in American history, and arguably matched by not exceeded by the flurry of executive and legislative activity of the New Deal (1934-1938) and Great Society (1964-1965) in subsequent decades.
Attorney General Bonaparte forwards a letter to President Roosevelt. It raises the question of whether it is advisable to recommend any modifications to the Sherman Anti-Trust Law or the Interstate Commerce Law at the present session of Congress, and how such modifications should be framed. Both the government and trusts want changes made to the existing laws, but the kinds of changes they desire are very different. Bonaparte concludes that it will not be possible to come to an agreement with the trusts about how the laws should be modified.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-02
In a copy of an open letter, Senator Lodge responds to Richard Olney’s recent open letter which urged the election of William Jennings Bryan. Lodge analyses Olney’s arguments against President Roosevelt’s handling of the trusts, his criticism of select judges, and his foreign policy, as well as Olney’s distrust of William H. Taft as Roosevelt’s successor. Lodge defends Taft’s record in the Philippines and as Secretary of War.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-29
Newspaper clipping on the subject of the the ongoing investigations into the “Trust Magnates” containing Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte’s official statements about the ability of the law to be used to prosecute those leading the trusts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-19
Attorney General Bonaparte provides President Roosevelt with clippings of the item he referred to in his letter, as well as his statement, and writes that whoever gave the information out must have known at least part of the truth. Bonaparte has also given an interview on the trusts, which, at least, can not hurt the situation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-19
Secretary of War Taft addresses the Republican Convention of North Carolina on a number of topics, highlighting the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties and arguing that the Republican party has better helped the southern states than the Democratic party has. Taft believes the South’s loyalty to the Democratic party comes largely from its historical affiliation, and encourages Republicans in the south to show that they are not merely a party of office-seekers, but that they are working to improve the state of the South as a whole.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-10
Assistant Attorney General Purdy reports his thoughts to Attorney General Bonaparte regarding legislation to be undertaken in the wake of the financial panic. Rather than formulate new legislation in response to the crisis, Purdy details the “evils” of the Sherman Act so that Congress may address them. Purdy argues that the Sherman Act outlaws all trusts, no matter if they are good or bad, which is impractical to enforce. Purdy believes it would be better and more expedient to outlaw the bad practices of certain trusts rather than making all trusts illegal. If Congress does not agree, however, then all methods of business should be modified to “meet the literal requirements” of the Sherman Act, by creating some simple and efficient legislation to immediately break up all trusts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-04
Because President Roosevelt has been vocal about his policies, there was nothing novel in the “vigorous” speech he had delivered the day before, but there is a need for him to reiterate his policies to dissipate misconceptions. Roosevelt argues that he is for the preservation of property rights, but against the predatory practices of wealthy men. Roosevelt says that past misdeeds, which were not illegal when committed, should be forgotten. Roosevelt outlines ways to govern the railroad trusts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-05-31
George W. Perkins argues that large corporations are necessary to a modern economy and should be regulated by strengthening the powers of the Department of Commerce and Labor.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1911-12-04
President Roosevelt encloses $25 as a donation for the Porcellian Club gate. Although fond of both George W. Perkins and Robert Bacon, Roosevelt believes they are wrong about the trust question and knows that William McKinley had been uneasy over the issue.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-10-04
In the script for an economic policy speech to be delivered at the Cincinnati Music Hall before many captains of industry, President Roosevelt argues that the trusts are a natural result of the prosperity brought by the Industrial Revolution and that we cannot pride ourselves on progress while denouncing the men whose “commanding business ability” made it possible. He uses the example of how one can control the Mississippi River’s flooding but not prevent it; therefore, America cannot end corporations but can and must study and regulate them. Roosevelt urges calm, informed evolution on the issue of trusts, not rancorous revolution. Labeling the “demagogic denunciation of wealth” to be unwholesome and even dangerous, he asserts that the public’s objection to any corporation should be based on its conduct, not its size or wealth. Roosevelt opposes lifting tariffs for trust-made goods, as that would hurt smaller producers and wage workers more than the trusts. Since most trusts conduct interstate commerce, Roosevelt recommends federal oversight, calling for legislative solutions and perhaps a constitutional amendment. He reminds the crowd that, as part of the executive branch, he is limited in his ability to stop the trusts alone.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-20
In this economic policy speech at the Cincinnati Music Hall, President Roosevelt begins by joking about how he messed up the opening music by requesting “Garryowen,” which the band apparently did not know how to play. Roosevelt argues that the trusts are a natural result of the prosperity brought by the Industrial Revolution and that we cannot pride ourselves on progress and prosperity while denouncing the men who made this possible. He compares the present situation to flood control; just as one can control the Mississippi River’s flooding but not prevent it, so too America cannot end corporations but can study and regulate them so that they can “subserve the public good.” Roosevelt urges calm, informed evolution on the issue of trusts, not rancorous revolution and asserts that the public’s objection to any corporation should be based on its conduct, not its size or wealth. He advocates for free trade, noting that the lifting of tariffs for trust-made goods would hurt smaller producers and wage workers more than the trusts. Since most trusts conduct interstate commerce, he recommends federal oversight, calling for legislative solutions and perhaps a constitutional amendment. He reminds the crowd that, as part of the executive branch, he is limited in his ability to stop the trusts alone. Roosevelt encourages the crowd not to “be made timid or daunted by the size of the problem” and concludes with the assertion that “all men, rich and poor alike, shall obey the law alike and receive its protection alike.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-20
President Roosevelt speaks to a crowd in Wheeling, West Virginia. After thanking and praising native Senator Nathan B. Scott for the introduction, Roosevelt discusses how America is living in a period of unparalleled prosperity and advancement in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. However, that prosperity comes with its own problems, namely those related to the rise of large, interstate corporations. He encourages the crowd to reject patent solutions or revolutionary reactions to the problems introduced by trusts. Rather, he asserts that the country must evolve, with the federal government regulating corporations, gaining facts and encouraging publicity but not opposing corporations as such. He compares the need to adapt the law to address trusts with the evolution of military arms and tactics; the means may change, but the need for citizen courage, honesty, and character remain.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09-06
Theodore Roosevelt describes his approach for handling the trusts. He does not want to limit the industry of the United States and corporations that may be benefiting the country. Roosevelt believes there should be an amendment to the Constitution that gives the federal government more power in dealing with corporations.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-09
Newspaper article supporting President Roosevelt’s antitrust policy, including an anecdote about Roosevelt easily and rapidly ending a conference with a concerned J. Pierpont Morgan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-05-11
In a scene reminiscent of the surrender at Yorktown, a man portrays Lord Cornwallis labeled “Special Privilege” offering his sword to President Wilson portraying George Washington, with William Jennings Bryan on the right and Oscar W. Underwood on the left. Standing behind the British officer are soldiers laying down their standards labeled “Monopoly, Tariff, Banking, Food Adulteration, Lobbyism, [and] Rail Road Rule.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1914-02-21
President Wilson, as the father of the bride the day after the wedding, brushes confetti off of himself and addresses three figures. One labeled “The Trust Question” is sitting on the floor with a woman’s shoe on his head. The second figure, with a large coin for a head and labeled “Currency Question,” is sitting in a chair. The third, labeled “Mexican Question,” is attempting to help “Trust Question” to get to his feet. The floor is strewn with flowers, garlands, women’s shoes, rice, and confetti. Caption: The Bride’s Father — Let’s see, gentlemen; Where were we at?
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1913-11-26