Planning a raid on the smoke house

President Roosevelt looks over a fence at a farmer labeled “Congress” chopping the roast off a pig: “salary increase.” The rest of the pig is labeled, “inheritance and income tax,” “big warships,” “Panama Canal legislation,” and “currency reports.” He smokes a pipe as he says, “I’ll take this roast home. The rest will go in the smokehouse.” In the background stands “The Congressional Smokehouse” with a sign, “The Long Cure Process Used.” Four cuts of meat are in there: “Philippines Tariff Bill,” “Ship Subsidy,” “Santo Domingo Treaty,” and “Immigration Bill.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

The underlying point, or contemporary pertinence, of cartoonist Kirk L. Russell’s cartoon is in its title — “Planning a Raid On the Smokehouse” — despite not portraying President Roosevelt as anything but a casual observer over the fence.

In fact at this time the president, although a lame duck and just having navigated a year of intense political and regulatory reform, designed an ambitious program for the nation. For a man like Roosevelt, it would have been difficult to isolate one policy more important than others, all identified by Russell in bloody portions.

The Post‘s cartoonist sarcastically shows the Congressional butcher tending to one cut, solely: its pay increase. And the other presidential priorities would not only be stored away but for “long” cures.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-26

Creator(s)

Russell, Kirk L., 1873-1934

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)

Page Count

1

Production Method

Printed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation