Excuse me, Mr. Harriman, you’re in the wrong pew

President Roosevelt pokes Edward Henry Harriman, who is reading a book, “My Letters to T.R. by Harriman,” sitting in the “truth” pew. Beside Harriman is a paper entitled “T.R.’s Letters to Me” and a top hat. The pew in front of Harriman is labeled “falsehood.” Behind the two men are several chuckling individuals and a sign that reads, “Daily Political Experience Meeting for the Benefit of the Public.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was the major crosstown rival to Joseph Pulitzer’s flagship newspaper the Post-Dispatch (a Democratic journal), and therefore expected to side with Republicans unlike Pulitzer’s papers. However, in the controversy between President Roosevelt and railroad baron Edward Henry Harriman, almost all citizens were arrayed against railroad trusts in general, and Harriman in particular.

At the stage in the intense feud between the men — drawn out over matters of government regulation and Harriman’s corrupt methods of influencing political matters, ostensibly so he could gain a United States Senate seat — correspondence dating back to 1904 had been released by both men. Those are the hymn-books of Harriman.

But Roosevelt countered every accusation made by Harriman. It is to be noted in Donnell’s cartoon that the President is not depicted as an usher asking Harriman to vacate a pew. His top hat marks him as a worshiper about to take his place in the pew designated to him. It should further be noted (since these church traditions largely have disappeared) that Roosevelt’s rightful pew, not merely an empty one, is the one labeled Truth. The empty pew, labeled Falsehood, is where the cartoonist would have us look for Harriman’s appropriate place.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-04

Creator(s)

Donnell, Elmer C., 1877-1951

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