1. “To permit every lawless capitalist, every law-defying corporation, to take any action, no matter how iniquitous, in the effort to secure an improper profit and to build up privilege, would be ruinous to the Republic and would mark the abandonment of the effort to secure in the industrial world the spirit of democratic fair dealing.”
This speech made to Congress in 1908 shows Roosevelt’s complete distrust in free markets and economic liberty. Also revealed are general threads of totalitarianism that run through so many of Roosevelt’s political theories. Based on this quote, it would appear that in his mind, private businesses should be under constant watch so that the state may determine if those businesses are engaging in practices which are deemed to be arbitrarily “fair.”
2. “Exactly as it is the duty of a civilized power scrupulously to respect the rights of all weaker civilized powers and gladly to help those who are struggling toward civilization, so it is its duty to put down savagery and barbarism. As in such a work human instruments must be used, and as human instruments are imperfect, this means that at times there will be injustice; that at times merchant or soldier, or even missionary, may do wrong. Let us instantly condemn and rectify such wrong when it occurs, and if possible punish the wrongdoer. But shame, thrice shame to us, if we are so foolish as to make such occasional wrongdoing an excuse for failing to perform a great and righteous task.”
In this address to the Minnesota State Fair in 1901, Roosevelt shows his ultra-nationalist and imperialist leanings. In his warped reality, it is the responsibility of the US to go about the world “correcting” with force what we deem to be imperfections in other cultures. Worse yet, Roosevelt seems not at all concerned about injustice; he indicates that injustices should not stop our trudging forward with world policing. For him, the ends justify the means, even if you must commit heinous acts.
3. “Without the habit of orderly obedience to the law, without the stern enforcement of the laws at the expense of those who defiantly resist them, there can be no possible progress, moral or material, in civilization. There can be no weakening of the law-abiding spirit here at home, if we are permanently to succeed; and just as little can we afford to show weakness abroad.”
In that same 1901 Address in Minnesota, Roosevelt decries any attempts at civil disobedience and seemingly justifies a belief in following law only because it is the rule of the land. As opposed to American revolutionaries who disobeyed unjust laws and actively campaigned against following such rules and regulations, Roosevelt apparently thinks that obedience is what is most important in an American citizen.
4. “I believe in power… The biggest [presidential] matters I managed without consultation with anyone, for when a matter is of capital importance, it is well to have it handled by one man only… I don’t think that any harm comes from the concentration of power in one man’s hands.”
After completing his presidency, Roosevelt made this quote justifying swift action by one individual on behalf of the government. Indeed, his quote makes sense, as he was one of the first “imperial” Presidents, who used direct executive action to accomplish his policy goals. His example has paved the way for almost every President since to take the role of an all-knowing executive who favors quick, singular action over republican deliberation.
5. “The great corporations which we have grown to speak of rather loosely as trusts are the creatures of the State, and the State not only has the right to control them wherever need of such control is shown. The immediate necessity in dealing with trusts is to place them under the real, not the nominal, control of some sovereign to which, as its creatures, the trusts owe allegiance, and in whose courts the sovereign’s orders may be enforced. In my opinion, this sovereign must be the National Government.”
This quote, made in Providence, Rhode Island in 1902, mirrors modern-day progressive themes of government control over sovereign corporations. Roosevelt claims that corporations could not exist without the state, and therefore, the state should have no issue exercising power over them. Roosevelt’s sentiment, in other words, could be summarized in fewer words: “You didn’t build that.”
6. “I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe 9 out of 10 are, and I shouldn’t like to inquire too closely into the case of the 10th.”
Racism is the crudest form of collectivism. This statement was made very early in Roosevelt’s political career, in 1886. Using this youthful statement, we can get a better view inside of Roosevelt’s mind. One can’t help but recognize that progressives and liberals alike have often been linked with racist statements like these, even as they claim to be “open-minded” and welcoming. It is interesting to wonder if this ignorance is somehow linked with a deep-rooted belief in a government which interferes in the lives of so many citizens.
7. “We wish to control big business so as to secure among other things good wages for the wage-workers and reasonable prices for the consumers. Wherever in any business the prosperity of the businessman is obtained by lowering the wages of his workmen and charging an excessive price to the consumers we wish to interfere and stop such practices.”
During a speech at the 1912 Progressive Party Convention, Roosevelt made this quote, invoking socialist ideas, as many modern progressive republicans would agree with him on. Through his economic paternalism, Roosevelt communicates that it is up to the state to determine whether prices or wages are “fair.” He thereby expresses his disapproval of the natural right of freedom to contract, a right which we as libertarians recognize as absolutely fundamental in a free society.
8. “An alien who remains here without learning to speak English for more than a certain number of years should at the end of that time be treated as having refused to take the preliminary steps necessary to complete Americanization and should be deported.”
Invoking modern-day conservatism in this 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus, Roosevelt exhibits his desire to forcibly remove immigrants from the country if they do not “adjust” to American norms by taking actions like learning the English language. Such xenophobia can be seen more subtly in current discourse, but Roosevelt’s statement is the pinnacle of bigotry toward other cultures in pursuit of a singular culture.
9. “[Some Africans] are ape-like naked savages, who… prey on creatures not much wilder or lower than themselves.”
This quote by Roosevelt once again places on full display his ignorance and general distrust toward other cultures. Roosevelt’s belief in the US as a policeman of the world becomes easier to understand as we view his thoughts with respect to almost all cultures outside of the US. Roosevelt’s beliefs in this regard perhaps lay the foundation for neo-conservatives’ current desire to become a “nation builder.”
10. “Criminals should be sterilised and feeble-minded persons forbidden to leave offspring behind them.”
This pro-eugenics quote from 1914 brings full-circle Roosevelt’s belief in an all-powerful government which controls every facet of our lives. Rather than working to rehabilitate criminals and have empathy toward their situations, Roosevelt apparently thinks that crime is some sort of disease that should be eradicated. One may also wonder if this quote was made with minority groups in mind, further showing Roosevelt’s racism and hatred toward those who are not what he believes to be “normal.”