The president is preparing for a great railroad speech

President Roosevelt is decked out with boxing gloves, prepared to hit a boxing bag with a face on it. In the foreground is a large weight labeled, “R.R. statistics,” and a teddy bear about to swing a club at a train. A man checks the calendar and three men are pictured on the wall, including J. Pierpont Morgan, Edward Henry Harriman, and likely James J. Hill.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Following the meeting between President Theodore Roosevelt and J. Pierpont Morgan, representing major railroad executives, on March 12 in the White House, and many other discussions since January on matters of concern to the industry, the president was understood to be preparing a speech on the subject.

Railroad moguls were aggrieved at the exposures of monopolistic practices and rate manipulation; aggressive controls by laws and regulations, especially of the Hepburn Act and of new Interstate Commerce Commission, respectively; and the imposition of lowered rate schedules that impinged on profits.

Clifford Kennedy Berryman’s cartoon depicts Roosevelt athletically (of course) training for his speech. On the wall are faces of nervous railroad men J. Pierpont Morgan, Edward Henry Herriman, and James J. Hill. It is possible that the face Berryman attempted to portray on the punching bag is that of New York Senator Chauncey Depew, who was one of the most prominent spokesman, a virtual errand-boy, for railroad interests in the upper chamber.

Indeed, in less than a week “leaked” correspondence between Harriman and Roosevelt from 1904 appeared in the New York World. It suggested that the White House would favor Depew with an ambassadorial post if Harriman would raise money for the Republican campaign fund. Depew, therefore, was peripherally connected to a matter that had more to do with Harriman’s desire for power and influence, and with the president’s integrity.

Roosevelt immediately released other information and documents attesting to his probity, and he detailed his defense to many people including Thomas MacDonald Patterson (letter of April 8, 1907) and released his own exculpatory correspondence from the previous year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-03-28

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