United States. Dept. of the Treasury

Letter from Heinrich A. Paffrath to George B. Cortelyou

Heinrich A. Paffrath, a factory owner in Germany, informs Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou that he has ample evidence that Salt’s Textile Manufacturing Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has underreported their yarn imports. After being contracted to produce yarn, Paffrath details how Salt’s sabotaged his business and how business relations broke down. Paffrath explains that the company has done irreparable damage to his own factory, resulting in its closure, and asks if the U.S. government would consider compensating him for the losses. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-19

Creator(s)

Paffrath, Heinrich A.

Letter from Owen Wister to Theodore Roosevelt

Owen Wister asks President Roosevelt to wait to appoint the “lay” member of the Mint Assay Commission because he has someone “honorable, eminent, and apt” to suggest for the role.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-12

Creator(s)

Wister, Owen, 1860-1938

Letter from George B. Cortelyou to William Loeb

Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou has received William Loeb’s letter regarding whether Cortelyou would consider being the delegate from the First Congressional District to the Republican National Convention. Cortelyou would prefer not to be considered for this position, and thinks that someone who will represent the constituents of the first district should be chosen. The treasury department has had to dismiss T. Aubrey Byrne, about whom District Attorney William J. Youngs spoke to Loeb.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-24

Creator(s)

Cortelyou, George B. (George Bruce), 1862-1940

Letter from Charles Phelps Taft to William H. Taft

Charles P. Taft warns Secretary of War William H. Taft that Ohio Revenue Collector Bernhard Bettmann’s office is full of “Foraker people” who work against him, alongside three or four Taft supporters. They plan to get up rump conventions in order to have two sets of delegates in certain districts, including the sixth. Charles P. Taft told his informant to lay the issue before Commissioner Arthur I. Vorys, but they must make it known the Federal offices will not line up on Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker’s side.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-24

Creator(s)

Taft, Charles Phelps, 1843-1929

Letter from George B. Cortelyou to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou is glad to go over his statement about the actions of Department of the Treasury with President Roosevelt. The resolution passed by the Senate Committee will be an opportunity for Cortelyou to submit a full and comprehensive report, which he knows is of great importance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-14

Creator(s)

Cortelyou, George B. (George Bruce), 1862-1940

Letter from George B. Cortelyou to Theodore Roosevelt

The Department of the Treasury is in dire straits and cannot make further deposits or withdraw from previously-made deposits without the risk of exacerbating the current financial crisis. Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou therefore suggests issuing Panama bonds and certificates of indebtedness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-16

Creator(s)

Cortelyou, George B. (George Bruce), 1862-1940

Letter from Frederick Getman Fincke to Theodore Roosevelt

Frederick Getman Fincke believes the allegations Charles W. Darling has made against Secretary of the Treasury Ellis H. Roberts and describes Roberts’s poor reputation in his hometown of Utica, New York. Fincke will go into further detail on Roberts’s low character when he meets with President Roosevelt in person on November 13.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-28

Creator(s)

Fincke, Frederick Getman, 1850-1912

Letter from John H. Edwards to Theodore Roosevelt

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury John H. Edwards sends President Roosevelt financial reports for the past six fiscal years.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-24

Creator(s)

Edwards, John H., 1875-1955

Telegram from Max Frost to William H. Andrews

Max Frost notifies William H. Andrews that he has mailed copies of the New Mexican newspaper and has filed the appropriate documents with the State Department and other departments in the U.S. Treasury Building. Andrews can verify these statements for himself. Governor George Curry will arrive in Washington soon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-27

Creator(s)

Frost, Max, 1873-

Letter from George B. Cortelyou to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou thanks President Roosevelt for allowing him to read Henry Lee Higginson’s letter. Cortelyou opines that Higginson’s “letter is a very plain and practical one in many respects.” He agrees that it is important to consider “the amount of money carried by the people.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-01

Creator(s)

Cortelyou, George B. (George Bruce), 1862-1940

Letter from Henry Lee Higginson to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Lee Higginson offers President Roosevelt his opinions and critiques about current economic policies in the United States, especially pertaining to the Treasury Department and to railroads. Higginson believes the Treasury should circulate more money and is against the policy of holding it out of circulation. He also believes that railroad owners and investors should be able to reap the benefits of the risks they take in investing in railroad stock.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-24

Creator(s)

Higginson, Henry Lee, 1834-1919

Letter from Leslie M. Shaw to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Shaw writes to President Roosevelt about F. E. Lyford’s suggestion that the government should accept certified checks instead of requiring currency. According to Shaw, requiring cash does not contribute to the “nonelastic character of our present currency system,” and he does not agree with Lyford’s recommendations regarding national bank notes. Shaw claims that Lyford has not sufficiently analyzed the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-01

Creator(s)

Shaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier), 1848-1932

Report on Max Pracht and W. Scott Smith

The writer asserts that Max Pracht and W. Scott Smith are “working together” and offers evidence. Pracht was suspended from the Land Office for insubordination and sought help from Senator John H. Mitchell; but when Mitchell was unable to help, Pracht turned to Smith and Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock to obtain his current post at the War Department. Events discussed since then by Pracht could only be known through a source close to the Secretary of the Interior such as Smith.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907

Creator(s)

Unknown

Telegram from Leslie M. Shaw to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Shaw writes to President Roosevelt that if anyone goes to Europe to investigate customs issues, he should report to the Secretary of the Treasury, not to the Secretary of State.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-30

Creator(s)

Shaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier), 1848-1932

Letter from Leslie M. Shaw to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Shaw responds to press coverage of the Treasury Department’s policies. Shaw argues that more money is needed in the summer due to higher demand for hard currency. Despite the opposition to the increase by opponents of Wall Street, Shaw says he has heard from many in business who appreciated his actions.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-27

Creator(s)

Shaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier), 1848-1932

Letter from Ludwig Nissen to Leslie M. Shaw

Ludwig Nissen suggests that Secretary of the Treasury Shaw make an effort to stop newspapers from discrediting the economic policies of the administration. Nissen tells Shaw that newspapers should give him more credit for helping businessmen, rather than portraying him as helping speculators.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-24

Creator(s)

Nissen, Ludwig, 1855-1924

Letter from William Henry Porter to William Emlen Roosevelt

William Henry Porter writes to William Emlen Roosevelt. Porter worries about issuing a special currency unless it is a temporary emergency measure and discusses what he believes are the minimum and maximum taxation and interest rates for such currency.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-22

Creator(s)

Porter, William Henry, 1861-1926

Report from Max Pracht

Max Pracht reports on corruption in the land office that he witnessed while a special agent in Colorado. Pracht details the misuse of government funds by William A. Richards, Commissioner of the General Land Office, and his report of it to Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock and Hitchcock’s private secretary W. Scott Smith. The final two pages detail Pracht and Smith’s relationship.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-22

Creator(s)

Pracht, Max, 1846-1918

Letter from Leslie M. Shaw to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Treasury Shaw sends President Roosevelt a clipping that suggests that Secretary of State Elihu Root is investigating the customs administration to obtain material “for possible modifications of American tariff laws.” Since investigating tariff laws falls under the duty of the Treasury Department and not the State Department, Shaw doubts this is the case, and he doubts there is reason for friction, but he writes to clarify the situation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-22

Creator(s)

Shaw, Leslie M. (Leslie Mortier), 1848-1932

Letter from James Noel Brown to Leslie M. Shaw

James Noel Brown congratulations Leslie M. Shaw on his work as Secretary of the Treasury and for his suggestion of an “Emergency Currency.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-23

Creator(s)

Brown, James Noel, 1850-1917