No intervention
Subject(s): Nobel Prizes--Medals, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Teddy bears, Telegraph lines
Click on image to zoom in
President Roosevelt observes two men, holding a pitchfork with a “Nobel Peace Medal” attached to it, and gestures that he wants no part of their argument. A “telegrapher” and “telegraph company” are arguing over downed lines. Meanwhile, a teddy bear watches from a haystack, “Me for the haystack!”
Comments and Context
The point of Clifford Kennedy Berryman’s cartoon is one that is often missed by history and historians: President Roosevelt intervened in labor/management disputes, but was not constrained to do so in every instance. When private businesses and employees, or unions, had disagreements that did not represent situations where fundamental fairness was threatened, the president felt no compunction to interfere.
Despite Roosevelt’s status as the virtual paterfamilias of the regulatory state — which he plausibly might view with horror today as a Frankenstein monster — he did not want the government to regulate every aspect of industry and commerce in sight.
In Berryman’s cartoon President Roosevelt earnestly gestures his disinclination to become involved with the parties in the telegraph industry’s internal matters.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-08-15
Creator(s)
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949
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:
No intervention. [August 15, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301579. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949. No intervention. [15 Aug. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301579.
APA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949., [1907, August 15]. No intervention.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301579.
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.
