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Theodore Roosevelt, as a hayseed from “Oyster Bay,” is being greeted by Edward H. Harriman, as J. Pierpont Morgan and James J. Hill look on from around a doorway in the background. Caption: “Well, if this ain’t Uncle Ted Roosevelt! How’s all the folks at dear old Oyster Bay?”
Comments and Context
If not for the caption (“They take him for…”) and the winking expression and false beard of the out-of-town hayseed “Uncle Ted” Roosevelt, one might think Udo J. Keppler’s cartoon suggested that President Roosevelt was naive and susceptible in the hands of the nation’s most powerful magnates Edward H. Harriman, James J. Hill, and J. P. Morgan.
The events behind the smiles and almost silly depictions in this cartoon were far fiercer. The Interstate Commerce Commission was contemplating the dissolution of Harriman’s Union Pacific Railroad (partly on the basis of its substantial stake in the Southern Pacific line). Harriman and Morgan went to Washington to protest, not before the ICC but to the president himself. Afterwards there were two versions of what was said, promised, and alleged in the meeting. Among the fallout was Roosevelt publicly calling Harriman an “undesirable citizen,” and Harriman promising never to contribute to Republican campaign in the future. Hill is pictured in the cartoon as a Northern Pacific railroad magnate, friendly rival of Harriman.
Even more to the point of contention between the government — President Roosevelt himself — and Harriman is the fact that his railroad was claiming lands under old land-development programs as they were ending. Harriman, hiding behind the Union Pacific, was able to purchase government lands for $1.50 to $20 an acre, according to one report, and then offer such acreage to friendly trusts for $1000 per acre, with more profits to be realized therefrom. This sort of corruption and “insider trading” incensed Roosevelt, and illustrated the interlocking directorates of allies on Wall Street. Worse yet, the recipients of such deals routinely raped the lands, ignoring at least some conservation measures.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-04-03
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
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:
They take him for a come-on. [April 3, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285732. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. They take him for a come-on. [3 Apr. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285732.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1907, April 3]. They take him for a come-on.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285732.
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. February 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.
