Music to their souls

President Roosevelt tells Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks, Secretary of State Elihu Root, Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, Senator Joseph Benson Foraker, Secretary of War William H. Taft, and Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw, “You remember what I said on election night!” They reply, “But, Mr. President, we love so much to hear you repeat it.” In the foreground a teddy bear shakes hands with a star and says, “Delighted!”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Cartoonist Clifford Kennedy Berryman was not the only cartoonist to squeeze every ounce of speculation from a matter that was not open to speculation during Theodore Roosevelt’s second presidential term — his decision to succeed himself. He had (as the cartoon indicates) declaimed such intention; and his string choice of a successor was Secretary of War William H. Taft. Nevertheless, some politicians still dreamed, and some cartoonists still fell back on easy subjects.

This cartoon was one of Berryman’s very first cartoons for the Washington Evening Star. Berryman had been a fixture at the Washington Post — then a smaller paper in the District — but would remain at the Star into the late 1940s, garnering a Pulitzer Prize in the process, and installing his son James as his own successor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-31

Creator(s)

Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949

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