Horseshoes cartoon

President Roosevelt throws horseshoes at “honesty.” “Fair Deal” has landed squarely on the stake, and Roosevelt holds another labeled “National honor” in his hand. “Tariff reform,” “equal rights,” and “corporation control” are all on the ground beside him.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The Washington Herald, during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, designed itself to be the most Republican newspaper in the capital. To that end it hired someone named Jack H. Smith to carry political-cartoon water in the cause. His concepts were clear, unlike those of other putative cartoonists, although routinely unspectacular.

President Roosevelt, depicted as a horseshoe player, is bound to make a ringer, and Smith lays out the president’s major initiatives and policies in 1907, at least as characterized by the cartoonist.

It is interesting to note that the horseshoe in the foreground is labeled “Fair Deal.” There was no way to know that four decades later, President Harry S Truman, succeeding to the presidency upon the death of Roosevelt’s distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, would call his legislative agenda the “Fair Deal.” In 1907 parlance the term was most often used to describe a modified form of free trade or reciprocity with other nations, as high tariffs were gradually dismantled.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-05

Creator(s)

Smith, Jack H., -1935

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