SOLD TR Fights for “Decent Government” and Reform Against Spoilsmen in His Own Party

Young reformer Theodore Roosevelt worked hard for the Republican ticket in 1888, but the incoming president, Benjamin Harrison, was not impressed. However, T.R.’s friend and advisor, Congressman Henry Cabot Lodge, intervened with Harrison, who somewhat reluctantly agreed to appoint him to the politically-sensitive Civil Service Commission.

An avowed foe of the political spoils system, Roosevelt energetically set about trying to make real changes and improvements. However, not all Republicans supported true reform; many preferred to give only lip service.

In early 1891, Roosevelt tried to extend the scope of the Civil Service Commission to the Indian Bureau, but this prompted significant opposition and Pres. Harrison refused to go along. In retaliation for the attempt, Republican spoilsmen moved to get Congress to deny any appropriations to the Commission, and it took all the influence House Speaker Thomas Reed could bring to bear to prevent that from happening. Here T.R. reveals the attempts made to gut the Commission and frustrate reform.

Theodore Roosevelt Autograph Letter Signed on his U.S. Civil Service Commission letterhead, 3 pages, March 15, 1891, to his friend Curtis Guild, Jr. (1860-1915), later governor of Massachusetts. “The 51st Congress in its first session gave us five extra clerks; the 50th in both sessions, gave us four; so did the 49th. In the 2nd session of the 51st Congress both houses passed the appropriation for 10 extra clerks for us; one in a lump sum, the other itemized. The conference committee contained five weak friends of the reform and one embittered enemy, Cannon, a Republican. The latter actually bullied his associates into the unheard of deed of striking out what both houses had agreed to. He thus undid at a stroke all the work of the Republican friends of the reform who had led the fight in both houses and had triumphed until robbed of their victory by a trick. As for Lodge, no man has ever done harder or better work for decent government than he has done during the last two years. He is equally hated by the Mugwumps and the infernal machine spoils-men. I do hope he may not suffer from their animosity. I wish you would come on here again. It did me good to get a few words with you.”

This is an important letter both for strategic and tactical reasons. Strategically, it shows T.R.’s intense opposition to corrupt machine politics and true dedication to reform, a dedication that was at the very essence of his political philosophy and career. It also clearly illustrates the opposition that reform faced and the battle it needed to be always fighting, even against leaders of Roosevelt’s own party.

The Cannon who was fomenting such trouble for T.R. was “Uncle Joe” Cannon, who later, as the extremely powerful Speaker of the House, would continue to attempt to thwart Roosevelt’s reforms when T.R. was in the White House. Tactically, the issue was mugwumpery. Mugwumps were independent Republicans who had bolted their party over its position on corruption and reform.

By praising Lodge and criticizing the mugwumps, Roosevelt was articulating a philosophy that it is better and more effective to work for reform within the party organization than leave and struggle from the outside.