Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ethan A. Hitchcock

di ans. 6/15%/01 The Dice Shamber WASHINGTON,D.C. is Oyster Bay, N.Y, June 13th, 1901. of Hon. E. A. Hitchcock, Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D.C. My dear Mr. Secretary:-- I am in receipt of your letter of the 12th inst in reference to the invitation of the St. Louis Republican Club. I do not want to speak this summer more than I can help. I have accepted just three invitat ions: One to go to the Quartoecentennial celebration of Colorado's statehood; one to Minneseta;and one to Vermont, the last two being in fulfilment of promises I made when I skipped those states last fall in the campaign. I wish you could see the multitude of requests that I receive of ever kind and sort. Now I want to speak in Missouri, but do you think this is the year for me to speak? If I speak this year il means definitely that I cannot speak next and probably bossibly not the year after. Do you not think it would be better for me to speaker later? I do not want to be travelling about making speeches every where. I cannot do justice to the audience, the subject, or myself, under such conditions; and the alternative is that I mustnot try to make more than one speech in a State during my term save under exceptional circumstances Do you not think this is sound? of do nFaithfully yours, want to wake more ctan one aleud Minouri and not abl this year. Theodore Roosevely