United States. Dept. of the Treasury

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-09-08

Creator(s)

Payne, Henry C. (Henry Clay), 1843-1904

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.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-04-30

Creator(s)

Bush, Charles Green, 1842-1909

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-05

Creator(s)

Gillam, F. Victor, 1858?-1920

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-12-14

Creator(s)

Bushnell, Elmer Andrews, 1872-1939

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-21

Creator(s)

Bush, Charles Green, 1842-1909

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.

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-04

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-13

Creator(s)

Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962

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.”

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-03

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.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-16

Creator(s)

Davenport, Homer, 1867-1912

A memorandum outlines the legislative history which designates who is responsible for the administration of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11

Creator(s)

Unknown

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-12

Creator(s)

Adee, Alvey A. (Alvey Augustus), 1842-1924

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-23

Creator(s)

Unknown

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-10

Creator(s)

Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856-1922

A note lists the amount of gold in the treasury and the amount of gold in circulation per capita in 1893 and 1907.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-12

Creator(s)

Unknown

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.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-24

Creator(s)

Unknown

President Roosevelt issues an executive order appointing Margaret F. Sterne as a clerk in the Department of the Treasury without compliance with Civil Service Rules.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt issues an executive order appointing Alice Virginia Fought as a clerk in the Department of the Treasury without compliance with Civil Service rules.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Frank H. Hitchcock has two competing job opportunities. President Roosevelt and Postmaster General George von Lengerke Meyer want Hitchcock to stay in his position as Assistant Postmaster General, while Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou wants him to replace the current Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Hitchcock is dismayed that the press makes him out to be the only man who can assess the current political climate in the Roosevelt administration, and swears that he is not currently campaigning for any candidate for president. Hitchcock has traveled around the South, Midwest, and Pacific coast, alarming local politicians who assume he is campaigning. Hitchcock has jurisdiction over several thousand postmasters in the United States, further establishing his influence over the nominating process.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-01

Creator(s)

Unknown

Lincoln Steffens wrote to President Roosevelt asking him to meet with Peter Fenelon Collier, owner and editor of Collier Weekly and Norman Hapgood, the author of the Life of Lincoln since Roosevelt was interested in Lincoln. Steffens will send Roosevelt a copy of the book.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-03-29

Creator(s)

Steffens, Lincoln, 1866-1936

William Croad Lovering returns Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw’s letter to President Roosevelt concerning legislation on the customs drawback law.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-03-17

Creator(s)

Lovering, William Croad, 1835-1910