ROOSEVELT, Theodore (1858-1919). Typed letter signed ("Theodore Roosevelt"), as Police Commissioner. New York, 30 September 1896.

2 pages, 7 3/4 x 10 1/2 in., creased at folds, soiling, some wear including tears to upper left corner and along portion of horizontal crease to second page. On "Police Department of the City of New York" letterhead.

In this letter to the editor of the Christian Advocate, Roosevelt calls attention to the immediate need for more men to join the police force. In part, "Nearly 800 patrolmen have been appointed within the last year, and 800 more must be appointed within the next four months...Every hardworking, industrious man of good character and good bodily development who can pass our examinations will be appointed wholly without regard to any influence he may or may not have, and without regard to his political or religious affiliations...The mental examination is such that any man who has been to the public schools until fourteen years old can pass it without the slightest difficulty..."

He goes on to discuss the pay of policemen, and to discourage any "man of bad moral character and imperfect physical development" from applying. He underlines the historic nature of the current situation as well, in part, "Never before in the history of the city have so many appointments to the police force been open, and never before have these appointments been open to all citizens strictly on their merits. It is a chance such as does not offer itself once in a generation.

Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana, and Historical Documents