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Uncle Sam holds a paper that reads, “Harriman raised $200,000 campaign fund for Roosevelt in 1904” and asks President Roosevelt, “Well, what have you got to say for yourself?” Roosevelt, clutching a bag of money and holding a G.O.P. elephant on a string, says, “It’s a ‘deliberate’ and ‘willful’ untruth!”
Comments and Context
Among the bitterest anti-Roosevelt agitators of the day were The Woman’s National Daily and its cartoonist known to history only as N. Eingen. The large-circulation paper was the brainchild of the St. Louis-area entrepreneur Edward Gardner Lewis, one of several enterprises spun off the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Lewis might indeed have had political differences with the president, but friction arose when the Administration pursued Lewis for infractions of postal and banking regulations.
The substance of this Lingen cartoon was seizing upon events three years old but currently in the headlines. Animosity between President Roosevelt and railroad tycoon Edward Henry Harriman had evolved from distant loathing to white-hot vituperation. Harriman thought the national government’s attitude toward the railroads — in laws of the insurgent congress, in the new Interstate Commerce Commission, and in Roosevelt’s speeches — was wrong and excessive. Roosevelt clearly thought otherwise.
Each man publicly expressed views, until Harriman released (or caused to be leaked) correspondence from 1904, supposedly showing that Roosevelt, running for reelection, requested hefty campaign donations from Harriman. The president quickly responded with refutational correspondence — describing a quid pro quo in which he hoped Roosevelt would appoint New York Senator Chauncey Depew as Ambassador to France, so that Harriman could run for senator himself.
The exchanges grew ugly, and very public. This cartoon actually quotes Roosevelt’s own words, but in sarcasm, disbelieving his protestations.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-04
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Explaining it. [April 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301514. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Eingen, N.. Explaining it. [Apr 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301514.
APA:
Eingen, N.., [1907, April]. Explaining it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301514.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
