Description:

Theodore Roosevelt
[Sagamore Hill, Long Island, NY], May 5, 1917
Theodore Roosevelt Important Progressive ALS Re: "commercialized vice" Threatening U.S. Troops: "live cleanly and decently… at the highest pitch of fighting capacity while the war lasts"
ALS
A 2pp autograph letter signed by former 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) as "Theodore Roosevelt" at the center of the second page. May 5, 1917. [Sagamore Hill, New York, Roosevelt's Long Island estate.] On bifold custom stationery with "Sagamore Hill" embossed in teal at the letterhead. Blank second page and outer leaf. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds. Isolated negligible ink smudging and one contemporary cross-out on the second page. Isolated foxing to the second page. Else near fine. 5.75" x 7.625." Comes with an Auction Certificate from RR Auction.

Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt wrote this fascinating letter to Walter Taylor Sumner (1873-1935), 4th Episcopal Bishop of Oregon. The letter discusses a most interesting wartime subject - "commercialized vice" proliferating among troops - at a most interesting time - about one month after the United States declared war against Germany on April 2, 1917, and on the cusp of active troop mobilization, less than two weeks before U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917 authorizing conscription. Both Roosevelt and his correspondent were dedicated Progressives, and the letter demonstrates their shared concern about long-bemoaned social evils that could become larger and more serious problems if they prevented soldiers from fighting. For, the two both believed that the psychological, physical, and moral condition of U.S. troops was absolutely key to winning the war.

Roosevelt wrote in part, with punctuation silently corrected:

"I don't know what that bill is; but most emphatically I agree with you in protecting the army from commercialized vice and forbidding all recognition of commercialized vice, and all encouragement, direct or indirect, of commercialized vice, by or in connection with the army. This is especially true of the army now to be raised. When our troops go to war our effort must be to appeal to their sense of self-respect and of duty; let us effectively endeavor to make them realize that it should be a matter of honorable obligation on them to live cleanly and decently, keeping themselves fit to be citizens when they return home, and at the highest pitch of fighting capacity while the war lasts…"

"Commercialized vice" referred to excessive drinking, the distribution of obscene literature, gambling, and, most importantly, prostitution. The Wilson administration was acutely aware of the possible corrosive influence of "commercialized vice" in the U.S. armed forces, launching the Commission on Training Camp Activities, also known as the Fosdick Commission, in April 1917. The Commission oversaw both the Departments of War and the Navy. The Commission clamped down on prostitution, establishing "vice-free" zones within a 5-mile radius of military bases; provided sex education and literature about social hygiene; and emphasized that soldiers "needed to be fit to fight" during a time when an estimated 20% of drafted men had contracted venereal disease before entering the armed forces. The Commission also provided alternative "clean" entertainment to soldiers, like lectures, concerts, library access, and movies.

Roosevelt's correspondent, Walter Taylor Sumner, served as the Bishop of Oregon between 1914 and his death in 1935. Sumner was dubbed the "Fighting Parson" because of his unflinching brand of "militant Christianity" which led him to "go right after [evil], hammer and tongs," in the words of Oregon state historian Fred Lockley. After he joined the priesthood in 1904, Sumner actively engaged in his parish communities in Illinois, founding and chairing the Chicago Municipal Vice Commission during the first decade of the 20th century. Sumner and Roosevelt both believed in social betterment. Sumner advocated for the civil rights of the elderly, young, working class, prisoners, and racial minorities. He also lobbied for more controversial social measures, such as eugenics and restricting birth control.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Provenance: The autograph letter signed is accompanied by an Auction Certificate from RR Auction (Amherst, New Hampshire) dated March 2018.
  • Dimensions: 5.75" x 7.625"
  • Medium: ALS

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