Left again
Subject(s): Clothing and dress, Older people, Reform movement, Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ), Tariff, Women
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An elderly woman labeled “Tariff Revision” angrily shakes her umbrella after being left standing on the railroad station platform as the “Republican Special” departs in a cloud of dust. Two men standing on the back of the last car are laughing at her.
Comments and Context
This Puck cover cartoon by Joseph Keppler Junior was drawn at the time the Republican National Convention met in 1904 and nominated President Roosevelt for reelection. It addresses several matters in the news, or several aspects of one issue: tariff reform.
The Democratic Party of this generation, since President Grover Cleveland devoted 100 per cent of his 1887 annual message to the high tariff and governmental surpluses, consistently advocated low tariffs or free trade.
The Republican Party over this period alternated between high tariffs and lowered rates, yet always voted for upward revisions.
Public opinion usually split along party lines. In 1904 the United States enjoyed prosperity, and had become a net exporter of manufactured goods and agricultural products, so there seemed little basis to upset the tariff rates. Despite attention to their “bases,” parties often suffered at the polls no matter what their tariff actions. Additionally, Roosevelt disliked economics, and felt ill-equipped to speak and write about arcane financial matters.
So the Republican Party “left the station” after it convention, its platform saying little about tariff revision, except for vague endorsement of high rates, and vague commitments to lower rates and consider reciprocity treaties.
Puck‘s cartoon is a little ambivalent on the tariff issue. Yes, the rich men mock the old lady on the platform. But if Puck were more sympathetic to “downward revision,” Keppler might have depicted her less dowdy and antiquated.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1904-07-06
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:
Left again. [July 6, 1904]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277834. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Left again. [6 Jul. 1904]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277834.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1904, July 6]. Left again.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277834.
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 12, 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.
