United States. Congress

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Samuel W. Meek

President Roosevelt appreciated Samuel W. Meek’s letter and wishes that Congress felt the same way.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Emlen Roosevelt

President Roosevelt liked Philip Roosevelt’s poem, but will not say so to him. He agrees with his cousin William Emlen Roosevelt that he likes discussing the futures of the Roosevelt boys. He thinks Ted will likely work under John Campbell Greenway. Roosevelt also tells William that he does not know much more about the legislation in Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Reuben D. Silliman

President Roosevelt thinks that Reuben D. Silliman’s friend stated the issue “admirably.” He believes that it is “the one issue” and that they must insist on it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Reuben D. Silliman

President Roosevelt agrees with everything that Reuben D. Silliman said in his letter, and says that he might use it as the text of a message to Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ernest Hamlin Abbott

President Roosevelt updates Ernest Hamlin Abbott on some of the government actions surrounding investigations into the Brownsville incident. Roosevelt will refuse to sign the Foraker bill, and says that he had already begun his own investigations to see if any of the Brownsville soldiers could be reinstated when Foraker began his investigations in the Senate, necessitating the cessation of Roosevelt’s investigation. From what he was able to find, Roosevelt thinks there are likely five or six men who he can reinstate, and will ask Congress to pass a bill allowing this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-12

Note from Theodore Roosevelt to Theodore E. Burton

President Roosevelt informs Representative Burton, Chairman of the Inland Waterways Commission, that he will not sign any bills that do not guard the interest of the public in dispensing water rights. He has requested that Secretary of War William H. Taft and Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte prepare statements and will submit them to the Commission once he receives them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt notifies Secretary of War Taft that there are currently many bills granting rights to develop water-power on government-held waterways, but that these do not mention compensation to the government for these water-rights as they should. Until he has more complete information about the effects of developing water power, Roosevelt says he will veto any bills to that do not make this provision. He directs Taft to instruct the Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a report on a number of questions regarding the construction of dams and water-power, which will then be given to the Inland Waterways Commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Augustus Peabody Gardner

President Roosevelt sends Representative Gardner, Chairman of the House Committee on Industrial Arts and Expositions, a memorandum from the Department of State containing suggestions and a draft bill related to the upcoming 1912 Exposition at Tokyo. Roosevelt believes that there are many good reasons to take part in the exposition, including promoting peace and trade between the United States and Japan, and hopes that Congress will provide the resources to produce an exhibit worthy of the country. Roosevelt also suggests that after the main exposition, portions of the industrial exhibit could be shown at major seaports across the region.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kermit Roosevelt

President Roosevelt writes to his son, Kermit Roosevelt, about life at the White House. With the coming of spring, birds and flowers are returning, and Roosevelt and his wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, are able to go riding in the afternoon. The social season is over, which Roosevelt is grateful for, as it allows him to have free time when he is not working. He anticipates some struggles with Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon over matters in Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-08

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William B. Allison

President Roosevelt seeks to call Senator Allison’s attention to the need for increased appropriations for education and support of Native Americans in Alaska, along with the support of the reindeer industry. Roosevelt briefly comments on the need for expanded actions by the Bureau of Education to promote sanitation and health in Native American villages. Roosevelt urges that congress provide the full appropriation that Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield has asked for.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-28

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Robeson Taylor

President Roosevelt wishes he could be in San Francisco in May, but does not think it will be possible as it will be near the end of the Congressional session. He does not believe that it will be possible for Secretary of State Elihu Root to attend either, but he has already arranged for Secretary of the Navy Victor Howard Metcalf to be present, and he believes he is the appropriate man to be there as his representative. Roosevelt praises San Francisco for having gotten rid of much of its corruption and electing a good city government.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-28

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Franklin Bell

President Roosevelt writes to General James Franklin Bell regarding the fortification of Hawaii. Representative Walter Inglewood Smith has told Roosevelt that the government had purchased two parcels of land in Hawaii that are currently unused, and says that if this is true, it emphasizes his point that the War Department and Navy Department must carefully consider their requests if they want Congress to pay attention to them. Roosevelt instructs that there must be a clear plan for what must be done with regards to military fortifications in Hawaii.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-02

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kentarō Kaneko

President Roosevelt tells Baron Kentarō Kaneko that he is trying to increase the appropriation, but cannot be positive about what Congress will do.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-02

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Gurney Cannon

President Roosevelt provides Speaker of the House Cannon with details explaining why it is urgent that Congress act quickly to appropriate funding for coastal defenses of several areas in and around the Pacific. Roosevelt explains both the current situation of defenses in Manila Bay, Pearl Harbor, and the Pacific Coast of the United States, as well as the plans that are currently in place to improve these defenses. He asks Cannon to try to expedite the process of providing funding for these purposes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles W. Fairbanks

President Roosevelt provides Vice President Fairbanks with details explaining why it is urgent that Congress act quickly to appropriate funding for coastal defenses of several areas in and around the Pacific. Roosevelt explains both the current situation of defenses in Manila Bay, Pearl Harbor, and the Pacific Coast of the United States, as well as the plans that are currently in place to improve these defenses. He asks Fairbanks to try to expedite the process of providing funding for these purposes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George E. Elwell

President Roosevelt wishes he could do what George E. Elwell asked him to do, but he does not have the time. Roosevelt says that Frank Roosevelt, his cousin, was a fine fellow to whom he was devoted, but now that Congress is in session he is too busy, particularly during this present year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-15

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to R. W. Boone

President Roosevelt is pleased to get a letter from R. W. Boone, as he is the great-great-grandson of Daniel Boone. Roosevelt is pleased that Boone likes the book, and is doing all that he can to preserve the forests that Boone mentioned in his letter. Roosevelt was not aware that Frederick Funston or Mason Mitchell were also descendants of Daniel Boone.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Adèle Le Bourgeois Chapin

President Roosevelt tells Adèle Le Bourgeois Chapin that he likes the speech given by Earl Grey, governor of Canada, and thinks that it would be a good thing for Americans to unite for the purpose that Grey mentions. He thinks, however, that it would have to be a private action, as Congress is reluctant to act even on things that should be simple.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Lee Higginson

President Roosevelt writes to Henry Lee Higginson about some of the actions that railroads and corporations have taken to try to influence public opinion regarding legislation in congress related to trusts and interstate commerce laws. Roosevelt agrees with Higginson about wanting a good system of banking and currency, and says that while Higginson may not like the bill put forward by Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, it is the only one that has been proposed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Jennings Bryan

President Roosevelt thanks William Jennings Bryan for the note of congratulations on Roosevelt’s message to Congress. Roosevelt hopes that Congress acts quickly, and thinks that the recent Supreme Court decision emphasizes the need for action.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-04