Details
ROOSEVELT, Theodore, President. Autograph letter signed ("Theodore Roosevelt") to Constance von Stumm, Sagamore Hill, N.Y., 8 December 1912. 3 pages, 8vo, very light stains on blank verso. Fine.
"THE MOVEMENT FOR HONESTY AND FAIR DEALING IN AMERICAN LIFE"
A sympathetic letter of condolence to the daughter of a deceased friend, referring to the recent Presidential elections, in which he had run as a Progressive against his hand-picked successor Taft, both of whom lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson: "You know how highly I thought of your father...Had he lived, he would have been one of the foremost leaders in the new movement...for honesty and fair dealing in American life. I mourned his death; I think of him continually." He reminisces that Constance was the "most attractive girl among all the pretty girls who came to the White House...we wished Ted or Kermit [two of his four sons] could marry you!"
Roosevelt's allusion to the "new movement" refers to his pledge for a "New Nationalism," which included enforcement of antitrust laws, a ban on corporate campaign contributions, workmen's compensation, and other progressive measures. In early 1912 Roosevelt had declared himself a candidate for the presidency, but failed to wrest the Republican nomination from Taft at the convention, and chose to form a splinter party, the Progressive (Bull Moose) ticket.
"THE MOVEMENT FOR HONESTY AND FAIR DEALING IN AMERICAN LIFE"
A sympathetic letter of condolence to the daughter of a deceased friend, referring to the recent Presidential elections, in which he had run as a Progressive against his hand-picked successor Taft, both of whom lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson: "You know how highly I thought of your father...Had he lived, he would have been one of the foremost leaders in the new movement...for honesty and fair dealing in American life. I mourned his death; I think of him continually." He reminisces that Constance was the "most attractive girl among all the pretty girls who came to the White House...we wished Ted or Kermit [two of his four sons] could marry you!"
Roosevelt's allusion to the "new movement" refers to his pledge for a "New Nationalism," which included enforcement of antitrust laws, a ban on corporate campaign contributions, workmen's compensation, and other progressive measures. In early 1912 Roosevelt had declared himself a candidate for the presidency, but failed to wrest the Republican nomination from Taft at the convention, and chose to form a splinter party, the Progressive (Bull Moose) ticket.