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President Roosevelt explains to Representative Bennet that the figures presented by Representative James A. Tawney, chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, about the government’s appropriations for the secret service are gravely misrepresented. Roosevelt encloses an analysis of Tawney’s numbers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-02-09
President Roosevelt submits a self-explanatory report to Representative Tawney and urges that the substance of the Commission’s suggestions be carried out.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-14
President Roosevelt tells Speaker Cannon that only appropriating $50,000 to the Interstate Commerce Commission instead of the asked-for $350,000 effectively repeals the twentieth section of the Hepburn Act. He also disagrees with provisions in the sundry bill limiting wages on the Panama Canal and regarding the secret service.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-30
President Roosevelt provides a number of details that he would like Representative Smith to bring to the Subcommittee on Fortifications of the Committee on Appropriations as they discuss the possibility of turning Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, into a fortified naval station. Roosevelt believes that constructing a naval base at Pearl Harbor is needed, as it would protect Hawaii and the Pacific Coast of the United States, as well as the other possessions of the United States in the Pacific. He mentions the construction that would have to take place in order to fortify Pearl Harbor.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-20
President Roosevelt asks Representative Tawney if he can grant Secretary to the President William Loeb a salary of $7,500.00. Loeb’s work is most “wearing” and his post prevents him from supplementing his income from outside sources, says Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-11
President Roosevelt sends Representative Tawney and the House Committee on Appropriations some thoughts concerning appropriations to pay the traveling expenses of presidents. Roosevelt does not believe the salary of the presidency should be raised, but advocates for a special fund to pay for things like state dinners and traveling expenses. As is, a wealthy president may be able to afford trips across the country, but a president of moderate means would be more restricted in the visits he is able to afford. While railroads are frequently interested in providing travel for presidents free of charge because of the benefits it brings them, Roosevelt does not believe such an arrangement is proper.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-12
President Roosevelt apologizes to James A. Hemenway, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations for the House of Representatives, for the appropriations for the White House presented by Colonel T. W. Symons, Commissioner of Public Buildings. Roosevelt has explained to Symons that he must first submit appropriation proposals to himself or William Loeb.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-03-29
President Roosevelt supports the appointment of John S. Wise’s son as a lieutenant in the army.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-05-31
George E. Miller sends Theodore Roosevelt a news release by the Detroit News, which he thought Roosevelt might like to read. The News reports the interaction of the House Committee on Appropriations with administrators of the Smithsonian Institution in a slightly humorous manner, focusing on the preoccupation of several representatives with whether any money would be going to fund Roosevelt’s safari expedition. While the hearings were going on, the Smithsonian institution issued its annual report stating that Roosevelt’s expedition was financed by private sources.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03
John E. Wilkie reports on the recent debates in the House Committee on Appropriations surrounding the Secret Service’s payment and involvement in land fraud cases. Wilkie outlines and refutes the claims made by some committee members, including Representatives John A. Tawney, Joseph S. Sherley, and William I. Smith. He concludes with the observation that the committee members “alone were responsible” for the state of Congress and that “no executive officer” is to blame.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-08
Speaker of the House Cannon acknowledges receipt of a letter from President Roosevelt requesting permission to take the chairs from the Cabinet room, as well as a small couch, but says that as it was not addressed as “personal,” he believes it should be referred to the House Committee on Appropriations. A handwritten note appended to this letter states that “Mrs. Roosevelt would like this letter to be withdrawn.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-02
Admiral Mason and Brigadier General Crozier provide a memorandum for President Roosevelt on the topic of explosive for bursting charges for projectiles for the Army and Navy. Mason and Crozier provide details on how this explosive is produced, as well as the quantities the Army and Navy expect to need over the next several years and the costs associated with the amounts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-20
Joseph Bucklin Bishop, secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission, recounts the Congressional Appropriations Committee’s visit to the Panama Canal Zone and offers several suggestions for how to improve government operations in the Canal Zone. The committee members are enthusiastic about the project and were highly impressed by the abilities and knowledge of George W. Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, but were disappointed by Canal Zone Governor Joseph C. S. Blackburn’s abilities. Bishop candidly admits to feeling similarly about Blackburn and encourages President Roosevelt to send Goethals to speak before Congress on the proceedings of the Canal project instead. Bishop also discusses the General Counsel for the Canal Zone Richard R. Rogers, who had criticized the Commission’s operations in a way which demonstrated an intolerable ignorance of the situation and a disloyalty to President Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-13
Representative Tawney apologizes for the delay in response to President Roosevelt’s letter. Tawney states there should be no issues with approving the sundry civil appropriation bill nor its allotment of funds for Roosevelt’s traveling expenses and the rehabilitation of the lower floors of the White House.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-15
Gifford Pinchot drafts notes on President Wilson’s appeal for the return of a Democratic Congress in the 1918 midterm elections. Pinchot believes that Wilson’s interference is threatening the core principles of democratic government. He also notes that the Republicans have been leading, not following the administration’s war efforts, and that by returning a Republican Congress the American people would be showing their determination to fight through to “complete victory.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1918-10-25
Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt thanks Boston Journal editor William Warland Clapp for his article in support of the fight in the House of Representatives over funding for the Commission. Roosevelt says the pretense behind denial of funding was a fraud and thankfully all the money was approved and received in one lump sum.
1890-02-15
Civil Service Commissioner Cooley asks President Roosevelt to consider writing a letter to chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, James A. Hemenway, concerning salaries for Civil Service Commissioners and for the secretary, as the committee prepares to consider a bill on this topic.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-01-11
Henry Loomis Nelson pleads the case of J. D. O’Connell, a clerk in the Bureau of Statistics who has been dismissed for submitting serious charges against the Chief of the Bureau, Oscar P. Austin. Nelson apologizes for bothering President Roosevelt with the case but asks that an investigation into the charges be conducted, asserting that he believes O’Connell to be trustworthy and to deserve a chance to present his proofs.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-01-27
Henry Loomis Nelson requests an investigation into the dismissal of Clerk J. D. O’Connell. O’Connell had submitted evidence to Representative Joseph Gurney Cannon, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House, that Oscar P. Austin, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics, was using his office for personal gain. O’Connell and Austin have now brought charges against each other.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-01-20