What do to with Mr. Roosevelt

President Roosevelt in a special police officer’s uniform marches across the United States with his “big stick.” Caption: Why not make him special policeman for life with the United States, Alaska and the Philippines as his beat?

comments and context

Comments and Context

The context of this early cartoon of Jay N. “Ding” Darling is the contemporary speculative fascination over what the relatively young Theodore Roosevelt would do with himself upon retirement from the presidency. Cartoonists, as with politicians and the general public, spent time either wondering whether Roosevelt would reverse his decision not to succeed himself, or wondering about which of seemingly countless fields of endeavor the polymath Roosevelt would pursue.

Ding’s cartoon had its inspiration in three recent controversies of the Roosevelt administration (and of course there could have been many for the peripatetic president). His leadership in domestic affairs made it easy to suggest a national policemen of sorts; he had taken great interest in the Alaskan Boundary Dispute with Canada (really, with Great Britain, where his aggressive posture resulted in his views prevailing); and his interest in the Philippines, as a new American territory and possibly a long-range burden, had engaged his involvement.

This cartoon was drawn before Ding’s famous, angular drawing style developed, but reveals him as a fine cartoonist, handling composition, anatomy, caricature, and shading. It appeared in the Des Moines Register and Leader before it merged with the Tribune under the Cowles management. Students will note the mailing label on the clipping, indicating that the day’s paper was a “comp” (complimentary copy) delivered directly to the president’s office.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-03-27

Creator(s)

Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962

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