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Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, President Roosevelt, and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks watch over a fence saying, “Oh!” “Heigh!” “Oh!” respectively. William H. Taft holds the handle to the “Buckeye State” wagon and Senator Joseph Benson Foraker rolls his sleeve, ready for a fight.
Comments and Context
A cartoonist named H. H. Graham discovered a variant angle on the aspirations of Republican politicians as the 1908 elections drew near. Cartoonists and editorial writers — and politicians themselves — endlessly speculated on the race. Roosevelt clearly favored his Secretary of War, William H. Taft; yet the power of an incumbent president, even one with the broad popularity that Roosevelt enjoyed, was not absolute. Party leaders and unpredictable delegates could confound the experts.
Graham’s “spin” was his focus on the rivals Taft and Senator Joseph Benson Foraker. Somewhat uniquely in presidential nominating contests, they hailed from the same state, creating tension and awkward challenges to political loyalties. Creating the scenario of two neighborhood kids about to scuffle, Graham puts words — a pun on the pair’s state — in the mouths of onlookers Speaker Joseph Cannon, President Roosevelt, and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-06-08
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:
Oh! Heigh! Oh!. [June 8, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301544. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Graham, H. H.. Oh! Heigh! Oh!. [8 Jun. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301544.
APA:
Graham, H. H.., [1907, June 8]. Oh! Heigh! Oh!.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301544.
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 5, 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.
