Wanted – another Moses
Subject(s): Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908, Cradles, Democratic donkey (Symbolic character), Democratic Party (U.S.), Moses (Biblical leader), Moses (Biblical leader) in rabbinical literature, Presidents--Elections, Pyramids
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The “Dem. Party” donkey with six followers places “Cleveland’s cradle 1884” into a river. Pyramids are visible in the background.
Comments and Context
This cartoon by Joseph Keppler Junior mirrors very closely — down to the poses and scenery — a Puck cartoon by Bernhard Gillam almost exactly 20 years previous. In both cartoons, the Democratic Party was desperate for a Moses to lead from the political wilderness. The party in 1883 had been out of national power for 33 years; at the time of this cartoon they had not occupied the White House for six years. Grover Cleveland had been the only Democratic president since before Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it is Cleveland’s name inside the empty cradle.
The Democrat leaders playing the Hebrew faithful in this cartoon, hoping for a leader who would grow and lead them from the wilderness, include former New York governor and senator David Bennett Hill; Henry Watterson, publisher of the Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal; and Senator Arthur Pue Gorman of Maryland.
The “Moses” who was selected to lead the Chosen in the presidential election of 1904 would be the darkest of dark horses, Judge Alton Brooks Parker. He led his party not to a Promised Land, but to a smaller role in national political life in a historical loss to President Roosevelt.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-09-16
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Wanted – another Moses. [September 16, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277354. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Wanted – another Moses. [16 Sep. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277354.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1903, September 16]. Wanted – another Moses.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277354.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
