The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-10-30
A Sample Roosevelt letter.

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Fortunately there are some things
about which President Roosevelt does
not think it necessary either to parley
or to be tender and considerable; and one
of those things is common honesty. We
take the liberty to put on record an un-
published incident that may serve, once
for all, to illustrate exactly the way Mr..
Roosevelt has been dealing with all
cases of a similar nature. One day, last
month, certain congressman visited
him in the interest of well-known man
prominent in state politics but not in the
government employ, whose relations to
certain postal contracts were such that
there seemed imminent danger of his
being indicted for conspiracy or bribery,
or both. Not content with verbal ex-
PLANTATION of his attitude toward the
business, President Roosevelt followed
MP the interview with letter to the
congressman. For our purpose the in
cident has typical value, as showing
L
are not at all concerned with the indivi-
duals. We publish this letter, there
fore, with names omitted, and with no
thought of using it to reflect in any
manner upon the gentleman to whom it
was addressed, or upon the man accused
of wrongdoing. 1t is a letter never in
tended for the public but rather to make
perfectly clear in private way to GER
hahn politicians themselves free from all
thought of completely in the postal
Irregularities that no further attempt
must be made to use political arguments
for the sake of affecting the Presidents
conduct in his plain duty as the nations
chief executive officer, and therefore as
the head of the business services of the
government. The letter with names
omitted, is as follows:
Personal.)
White House, Washington; Oct.,-, '03.
My Dear Congressman;
The statement alleged to have been
made by the inspector that I ordered"
the indictment of -, or any one else,
is lie,-just as much of lie as if it
had been stated that ordered that any
one should not be indicted. My direc-
lions have been explicit, and are explicit
now. Anyone who is guilty is to be
prosecuted with the utmost rigor of the
law, and no one who is not guilty is to
be touched. care not rap for the
political or social influence of any
human being when the question is one
of his guilt or innocence in such mat
Ter as to the corruption of the govern
ment service.
Inote what you say, that the circula-
hon of this report about me may ALLEVIATE
The support of many of IS friends
from my administration. Frankly, I
feel that anyone who would believe such
= story must he either lacking in intelli-
gence or else possessed of malignant
credulity., If any one is to be alienated
from me by the fact that / direct the
prosecution of republican or democrat,
without regard to his political or social
standing, when it appears that he is
guilty of gross wrongdoing, why, all
san say is, let him be alienated.
If District-Attorney - has anything
which should be known to the Attor-
ney General or to me as regards this !
suit, should be delighted to see him
But frankly, have not the slightest de.
ire to see him if his visit is to be in the
interest "of the welfare of the party"
or Of my success" In case like this,
where the crime charged is one that
strikes at the foundations of the COM
monwealth. should hold myself unfit
for this Office if 1 considered for one
moment either my own welfare or the
Of the party, or anything else
except the interests of justice.
Respectfully,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
From ''The Progress of the World
in the American Monthly Review of
Reviews for November.