Your TR Source
John H. Edwards forwards a transcript to William Loeb to give to President Roosevelt on behalf of Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-12
Secretary of the Treasury Shaw asks William Loeb to bring the tariff plank that he has drafted to President Roosevelt’s attention.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-07
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt informs David Cory the book, Merchant Vessels of the United States, is not published by the United States Navy Department, but he has sent his request to the Bureau of Navigation in the Department of the Treasury.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1897-08-06
Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office Department Goodwin sends Postmaster General Wynne a memorandum containing an opinion Attorney General William H. H. Miller sent to President Benjamin Harrison in 1891 following the death of Secretary of the Treasury William Windom. Miller’s opinion deals with whether Harrison can fill the vacancy caused by Windom’s death with a temporary appointment for more than ten days, and cites a number of statutes dealing with the issue. Miller concludes that it seems that the president can only appoint a temporary office-holder for ten days, and that the position should be filled by constitutional appointment within that time period. Goodwin notes that this time period has since been extended to thirty days.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-04
Chair of the Republican National Committee carries a “Rep. campaign funds dough bag” toward the White House. President Roosevelt sits on the bag and holds a “keep silent and carry a big stick.” Uncle Sam sits on the “U.S. Treasury” and points to the wording on the side of the box, “Addition, division—and silence.” Caption: Uncle Sam to Cortelyou—”Where did you get it?”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11
Postmaster General Payne updates President Roosevelt on the state of the post office investigation. Charles J. Bonaparte and Holmes Conrad have been away for the summer, and have not been consulted yet, although the investigation has proceeded in the meantime. Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Joseph L. Bristow has a large number of cases pending in the District Attorney’s office, waiting to go before a grand jury. Indictments are expected, and Payne does not believe that it would be wise for the government to publicly release information on the investigation before the grand jury has finished.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-08
Uncle Sam pulls out his pockets to show that they are empty while President Roosevelt stands on top of the “U.S. Treasury” building, which has a sign that reads, “Cost of Cleveland administration: $1,757,000,000.” Beside Uncle Sam is a large stack of military supplies with a “Filipino” on top. A note reads, “Uncle Sam, to Roosevelt administration—$2,640,000,000 rec payt.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-04-30
On the left side, there is a “full treasury” bank safe replete with money bags “at the end of Roosevelt’s term.” Above the safe is a sign: “Cost of Roosevelt’s administration $2,640,000,000—population of U.S. 80,000,000.” Caption: Safe—. On the right side, there is an empty treasury “left empty through Democratic incompetency” safe at the end of Grover Cleveland’s term. Above the safe is a sign: “Cost of Cleveland’s administration $1,757,000,000—population of U.S. 65,000,000.” Caption: —Unsafe. Moral—’Tis far better to have an expensive administration that is not disastrous to the country than to have a CHEAP one that is.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05
George Barnsdale Cox and August Herrmann—known as “Garry”—walk past a locked “U.S. Treasury Dept” with cannons pointed at them. Caption: “Cox and Herrmann made only a short stay in Washington.” —News Item.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-12-14
President Roosevelt fires many bags of money from the “G.O.P.” cannon towards a figure representing the “Republic of Panama,” who holds his hat up in an attempt to catch them. Secretary of State John Hay holds a “treaty” sponge to clean the cannon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-11-21
President Roosevelt, Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, and Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich walk out of the “National Treasury” with “aid for Italy” money bags.
Foreign aid as we know it today was never a major part of the national government’s attention or priorities, and even in President Roosevelt’s era the source of American monies sent overseas was largely the work of charities and church organizations.
In the first section of the cartoon, the “Congress” cat is asleep as “graft” mice eat from the “public lands & timber” and “Post Office Dept” bags and the “National Treasury” barrel. One mouse says, “Why don’t you get a basket? You can carry more.” Caption: When you consider the conditions that existed for years in national affairs– In the second section, Roosevelt holds a “reform” big stick and tells the “Congress” cat to “Get busy!” Congress replies, “You are violating all precedents.” Many “graft” mice lie dead on the ground.
It is interesting to note several important historical facts as conveyed by political cartoonist Jay N. “Ding” Darling.
With fewer than two months left in his Administration, and as the cartoon makes clear, President Roosevelt was as earnest as ever he had been, in this matter and others, fighting corruption.
Uncle Sam looks questioningly at President Roosevelt as he holds up a paper that reads “annual report of treasurer shows a deficit of over $50,000,000.”
In this cartoon Uncle Sam holds President Roosevelt accountable for annual budget deficit of more than $50-million. Indeed the fiscal year saw the twin challenges of an expanding federal bureaucracy, and losses to the financial markets, banks, and traders — therefore tax revenues — stemming from the previous year’s Wall Street Panic during with shares values fell fifty per cent.
John A. Dix points to a letter that reads, “Treasury Department Jan. 27, 1861—If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot. John A. Dix, Secretary of the Treasury.” Meanwhile, Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw writes on paper: “evacuate the Philippines.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-16
A memorandum outlines the legislative history which designates who is responsible for the administration of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11
Acting Secretary of State Adee relays a telegram from Acting Secretary of Commerce and Labor Lawrence O. Murray, which relates to a telegram to Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw from the collector of customs at the port of San Francisco regarding the Russian cruiser Lena, which is being inspected for repairs. Adee includes Murray’s reply stating that the collector’s telegram to Shaw should have been sent to the Department of Commerce and Labor, rather than the Treasury Department.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-12
A memorandum on an importation case involving May & Ellis in New Orleans explains that they were improperly valuing the goods they were importing. The Board of General Appraisers investigated the matter and determined the proper value of the Nottingham netting being imported. Agent T. Aubrey Byrne, who had been involved with the case, was not called to testify because Treasury Department did not feel his testimony would add enough value to justify his traveling for the hearing.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-23
An article by Thomas E. Watson rails against the efforts of national bankers to replace the the Department of the Treasury issued notes which had historically been used to combat inflation with their own bank notes. Such a practice would give private banks full control over the financial state of the country and would only increase bankers’ wealth at the expense of the economy. Should President Roosevelt allow this to happen, he would prove himself a hypocrite and incapable of living up to his promises to fight the “malefactors of wealth” in the United States.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-10
A note lists the amount of gold in the treasury and the amount of gold in circulation per capita in 1893 and 1907.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-12
The Department of the Treasury has tabulated the government’s expenses and sources of income for the fiscal years 1902 through June 30, 1907, including surpluses and deficits. The figures are categorized based on the source of revenue or type of expenditure.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-24