On November 30, 1914 Colonel Roosevelt wrote to Lane saying,—­

“That’s a mighty fine poem on Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving!  I wish you would give me a chance to see you sometime.

“I do not know Mr. Garrison and perhaps he would resent my saying that I think he has managed his Department excellently; but if you think he would not resent it, pray tell him so.  I hear nothing but good of you—­but if I did hear anything else I should not pay any heed to it. ...”

To Theodore Roosevelt

Washington, December 3, 1914

My dear Colonel,—­I have just received your note of November 30th, and I am very much gratified at your reference to my Thanksgiving lines.  You may be interested in knowing that the Home Club, before which I read these lines, is an institution that I organized since becoming Secretary, for the officers and employees of my Department. ...

You may rest assured that I shall convey your message to Mr. Garrison, and I know that he will be just as pleased to receive it as I am in being able to carry it.

...  The work of the Department keeps me pretty closely to my desk, so that I have few opportunities of getting away from Washington.  I certainly shall not let a chance of seeing you go by without taking advantage of it.

Cordially yours,

FRANKLIN K. LANE

To Hon. Woodrow Wilson

The White House

Washington, January 9, 1915

My dear Mr. President,—­That was a bully speech, a corker!  You may have made a better speech in your life but I never have heard of it.  Other Presidents may have made better speeches, but I have never heard of them.  It was simply great because it was the proper blend of philosophy and practicality.  It had punch in every paragraph.  The country will respond to it splendidly.  It was jubilant, did not contain a single minor note of apology and the country will visualize you at the head of the column.  You know this country, and every country, wants a man to lead it of whom it is proud, not because of his talent but because of his personality,—­that which is as indefinable as charm in a woman, and I want to see your personality known to the American people, just as well as we know it who sit around the Cabinet table.  Your speech glows with it, and that is why it gives me such joy that I can’t help writing you as enthusiastically as I do.  Sincerely yours,

FRANKLIN K. LANE

To Lawrence F. Abbott

Outlook

Washington, January 12, 1915

My dear Mr. Abbott,—­I enclose you two statements made with reference to our public lands water power bill and our western development bill.  The power trust is fighting the power bill, although as amended by the Senate Committee it is especially liberal and fair and will bring millions of dollars into the West for development of water power.  There seems to be no real opposition to the western development bill, generally called the leasing bill, excepting from those who believe that all of our public lands should be turned over to the States.