President Taft Pushes Aside the Request of a Theodore Roosevelt Friend and Supporter With an Apparent Pretext
Taft had a great interest in the Panama Canal, and as Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, was involved in its construction. When he became President, that interest continued. He advocated for the Panama Canal Act, the purpose of which was to exempt American coastwise shipping from paying tolls when transiting the Panama...
Taft had a great interest in the Panama Canal, and as Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, was involved in its construction. When he became President, that interest continued. He advocated for the Panama Canal Act, the purpose of which was to exempt American coastwise shipping from paying tolls when transiting the Panama Canal. However, this measure came in for serious criticism on two fronts: 1. Since it was quite possibly a violation of the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty with Britain, that nation and its friends in the U.S. were up in arms; 2. The railroads would suffer diminution in business if more transcontinental trade was routed through the Panama Canal, so the railroad companies, their investors, and the employees that labored for them were opposed. These all had constituencies in Congress.
Taft’s overall policy was to use America’s growing economic power as a diplomatic tool, and he urged Wall Street to invest money in foreign markets in order to increase American influence abroad. Many people were critical of Taft’s plans, and his critics denounced this strategy as “dollar diplomacy.” In fact, the Senate refused to sign several treaties Taft submitted (such as the 1911 U.S.-Nicaragua Convention that provided for a large loan from American bankers to re-fund the Nicaraguan debt and U.S. administration of its customs services).
Herbert Parsons was a close friend and political ally of Theodore Roosevelt. In 1904 he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1906, President Roosevelt successfully maneuvered to place Parsons as president of the New York County Republican Party over the candidate of “Boss” Thomas Platt. Parsons worked closely with Roosevelt to carry out the President’s wishes and to ensure him the loyalty of county Republicans. For years he was a friend of Taft, as well.
Typed Letter Signed as President, on White House letterhead, Washington, January 22, 1911, to Parsons. “I have your note of January 20th concerning Judge Brown. With the hope that the Panama bill may pass, I am not making any appointments of judges at present.”
Taft appointed 57 U.S. judges during his short term, and made numerous appointments just before and not long after writing this letter to Parsons. The record shows no material suspension of appointments. And the Panama Canal Act did not pass for quite a while, with Taft signing it on August 24, 1912. Meanwhile, the Roosevelt-Progressive wing of the Republican Party was already estranged from Taft, and the very day before this letter was written, January 21, 1911, Wisconsin Senator Robert LaFollette established The National Progressive Republican League to oppose Taft openly. So Taft’s letter could well have been a slap in the face to TR and the Progressives, with the Panama bill just a pretext.
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