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President Roosevelt sends Representative Hull, Chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs, a letter from Secretary of War Luke E. Wright about a problem that has arisen in the administration of laws related to the detail of officers for service in the Ordnance department. Roosevelt encloses a proposed amendment that has his approval.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-14
President Roosevelt sends Francis E. Warren, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, a letter from Secretary of War Luke E. Wright about a problem that has arisen in the administration of laws related to the detail of officers for service in the Ordnance department. Roosevelt encloses a proposed amendment that has his approval.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-14
President Roosevelt discusses an exchange of letters between himself, President-elect Taft, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and Secretary of War Luke E. Wright. Roosevelt tells Taft that his feeling is that going forward, if Congress wishes a certain course to be followed it should direct that course through legislation. In the absence of the law, however, Roosevelt feels that the Executive should have a free hand to act as they determine the interests of the United States requires.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-29
President Roosevelt informs President-Elect Taft about a “scrape” regarding ships that Congress authorized to have purchased for the Panama Canal against the wishes of Chief Engineer George W. Goethals. The ship owners insist that the War Department approved the bill’s passage with knowledge that Goethals protested. Secretary of War Luke E. Wright is reluctant to sign off on something that is a mere promise, and not a direction, from Congress against the wishes of canal officials. Roosevelt asks Taft to see Wright and himself, if necessary, to explain what he said on the matter when he was Secretary of War.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-23
President Roosevelt has received Public Printer Leech’s letter of resignation, and accepts it with thanks for his good service. Roosevelt tells Leech that if he will present this letter to Secretary of War Luke E. Wright, Wright can arrange an extension of Leech’s leave of absence before Leech returns to the Philippines to resume his work there.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-26
President Roosevelt gives “three cheers” for Judge Lurton’s grandson, Horace H. Lurton III. Roosevelt will take the matter of Brown up with Secretary of War Luke E. Wright. He is uncertain whether his administration should appoint another man from Tennessee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-18
President Roosevelt writes Richard Watson Gilder a lengthy refutation of an article in the Evening Post in which William Garrott Brown misconstrues his actions in the Republican Party. Namely, Brown accuses Roosevelt of neglecting Republicans in the South and of doing a poor job of making nominations to local offices and positions. Roosevelt asserts that where the Republican party is not strong in the South, he has had to appoint Democrats who were quality men, rather than incapable men who are Republicans. Where he believes the party has a chance to compete with Democrats, he does all he can to support it. Roosevelt also writes that he did not use his influence on officers to get William H. Taft the nomination, but rather Taft was nominated because Roosevelt’s policies were popular, and Taft is the man who will continue those policies. Roosevelt believes that Brown is either ignorant or willfully ignorant of a number of facts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-16
President Roosevelt is sorry to hear that Judge Tracey is leaving the Philippines, and thanks him for his service there. He will speak to Secretary of War Luke E. Wright about getting the kind of successor that Tracey wants.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-13
President Roosevelt referred Arthur von Briesen’s letter to Secretary of War Luke E. Wright and received the enclosed attachment regarding the separation of Colonel Samuel Edward Allen from Fort Wadsworth. Roosevelt does not feel that he can disregard judgment from the Secretary of War and from General Frederick Dent Grant in this matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-31
President Roosevelt does not think it is advisable for him to write the letter that Wyndham Robertson Meredith requests. Secretary of War Luke E. Wright is speaking for him on the matter. Roosevelt would say at anywhere and at any time that as long as election laws are constitutionally enforced without discrimination as to color, southern representation in Congress will not be cut down.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-27
President Roosevelt asks Acting Secretary of the Navy Newberry to respond directly to an enclosed letter from Winfield Scott Moody. Roosevelt asks Newberry to go over a request from Secretary of War Luke E. Wright.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-01
President Roosevelt tells General Wood about the plans for his African safari, and asks if Wood might release Edgar Alexander Mearns to go. Mearns is an army surgeon who promised to accompany Wood wherever he was posted, but Mearns’s skill as a surgeon and a naturalist would be great additions to the expedition. Roosevelt thinks Wood will have a friend in Secretary of War Luke E. Wright.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-16
President Roosevelt is glad to hear of the progress in Archibald Gracie’s work, and asks if the enclosed letter to Luke E. Wright is all right.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-20
President Roosevelt says that a letter from Egbert J. DeBell is essentially a piece of blackmail, and he has forwarded it to Commissioner of Indian Affairs Francis E. Leupp. Roosevelt has spoken with Elihu Root, who thinks that no campaign letter from Roosevelt should be published until after William H. Taft gives his speech of acceptance and publishes his letter of acceptance. That should still give plenty of time for Roosevelt to do something, but the final say belongs to Taft, as to what he would like Roosevelt to do and when. Roosevelt responds to several points Taft raised about the Democratic Party platform.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-13
President Roosevelt asks Acting Secretary of the Interior Frank Pierce to detail Henry Gannett to Roosevelt, once he is finished assisting with the Cuban Census. If Pierce does this, Roosevelt will assign Gannett to help the National Conservation Commission create a report detailing the natural resources of the United States. Roosevelt believes that Gannett will be a great help, and so is sending a copy of this letter to Secretary of War Luke E. Wright, to whom Gannett is currently detailed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-02
President Roosevelt thinks that William H. Taft is correct, and is glad that they have spoken to Frank B. Kellogg and William L. Ward, as it appears that Frank H. Hitchcock is becoming the favorite. Roosevelt believes Hitchcock will be a very good choice to help run Taft’s campaign. Roosevelt also responds to a letter from Taft regarding Frank Maximilian Steinhart, and comments on some business involving telephones.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-02
President Roosevelt tells Secretary of War Taft that, while he is sure that Frank H. Hitchcock would do a satisfactory job of running Taft’s campaign, the best person would be Frank B. Kellogg. Roosevelt thinks that if Kellogg is asked, there is a chance he would accept, but advises Taft to speak with Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte first to see what the provisions would be for finding a substitute in the current case Kellogg is involved in.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-06-29
President Roosevelt asks Joseph Bucklin Bishop if he and his wife, Harriet Hartwell Bishop, can come visit on Friday, July 31. He will have Luke E. Wright meet them at the train station.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-01
President Roosevelt thanks S. B. M. Young, George S. Patton, Robert S. Bean, and Henry Lee Higginson for the valuable paper that they wrote. Roosevelt has brought the paper to the attention of Secretary of War William H. Taft, and asks them to personally write to Taft to call his attention to the report. Roosevelt agrees with the recommendation for the purchase of property, and says that he is not entirely content with the academic course at either the Military Academy at West Point or the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He thinks there might be too much emphasis placed on academics in the military, and says that if he needed to pic someone to lead a cavalry division, he would not care if the person was good at math.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-06-19
President Roosevelt informs Leonard Wood that Luke E. Wright will be the new Secretary of War, and asks him to write to Wright with any reservations he may have. Roosevelt asks if Wood has anything special that he thinks Roosevelt should say in his final message to Congress. He explains some of his plans for going on a safari once he leaves the presidency, as well as his possible travels through Europe.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-06-19