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An old woman labeled “Miss Democracy” rides on the Democratic donkey along a dirt road labeled “Political Pike.” A banner labeled “S and S” (Safe and Sane) hangs from the donkey’s neck. In the background, the Republican elephant labeled “G.O.P.”, ridden by George B. Cortelyou, is leaning against a tree. Caption: The Elephant — Well, gee whiz! Who’d have thought it?!
Comments and Context
Cartoonist Pughe’s depiction of the Democratic Party’s happiness, and Puck‘s own confidence, over the transformation of Populist ideology and return of conservative values, reflected facts, but the reality was short-lived as well as futile. Theodore Roosevelt’s Republican Party was moving closer to reform views first advanced by William Jennings Bryan (the Democratic presidential candidate in 1896 and 1900) and, overall, was overwhelmingly popular with citizens.
The mustachioed figure on the bewildered Republican elephant is not Roosevelt but Party Chairman George B. Cortelyou. He was a figure whose importance to Roosevelt, his administration, and the country in general, has been overlooked. Cortelyou was a worker in the Department of the Treasury who rose through the ranks of the Cleveland administration; Grover Cleveland recommended to his successor William McKinley that Cortelyou would make a superb personal secretary.
He served McKinley well, and was present at the assassination in Buffalo; falling into Cortelyou’s arms, the president pleaded with him to gently break the news of the attack to Mrs. McKinley. Following McKinley’s death, President Roosevelt assigned Cortelyou the task of streamlining the office of the President and its functions. Cortelyou also established formal (and seemingly informal) relations with members of press. He went on to serve as the nation’s first Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Chairman of the Republican National Committee — to be portrayed in many cartoons, as here — Postmaster General, and Secretary of the Treasury. In this role, confronting the 1907 financial panic, he developed a response that would be called, in later times, quantitative easing; his Treasury Department bought government bonds and injected money into the economy.
After government service, Cortelyou served in private pursuits, including as head of the New York City utility company that became Consolidated Edison (ConEd). His service to the United States, to both parties in many capacities, and as right-hand man to Theodore Roosevelt, has been insufficiently recognized.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1904-08-03
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
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:
Transformed. [August 3, 1904]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277842. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. Transformed. [3 Aug. 1904]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. April 2, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277842.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1904, August 3]. Transformed.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277842.
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. April 2, 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.
