The following two letters are excerpts from The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson. The letters between Wilder and her daughter Rose capture what may be surprising to many. Wilder loathed the Roosevelts and the New Deal.
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Rose considered the reelection of Franklin D. Roosevelt to be national approval of the New Deal. Laura Ingalls Wilder and Manly shared Rose's dislike of the administration. In this letter Laura refers to Rose's official residence as being at Rocky Ridge, claiming head of the household status to reduce her income tax. Laura discusses this situation, her own local anti–New Deal activities, and home news.
March 12, 1937
Rose Dearest,
Your letter enclosing Dewey Short's came this P.M. [Republican Dewey Short, who hailed from Missouri's Seventh Congressional District, was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He was a staunch opponent of the New Deal.]
Dewey Short is a grand person. He and Clark deserve a medal for valor. We were interested in his letter.
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