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President Roosevelt points to a small “prison door” with a man labeled “Congress” by his side. In the background is a police officer chasing a “corporation criminal” that has millions of dollars. Inside the prison is a “man who stole $3.00” and a “pickpocket.” Caption: President Roosevelt — “You see, we want that door cut larger so that when we catch one of those big fellows we can put him inside and not let him loose with the public.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

President Roosevelt’s complaint, pictured in Jay N. Darling’s cartoon, was and is a cliche in debates about the American criminal justice system — that small-time criminals are incarcerated but, frequently, major lawbreakers “use the system” or evade major penalties and jail time.

Illustrating this point, at the moment of this cartoon was the public’s interest in the case of John D. Rockefeller, head of Standard Oil of Indiana and its many octopus-like subsidiaries and associated companies. A spectacular six-week trial had attracted public attention. There were 1462 separate charges, and Rockefeller was found guilty on all counts, with a staggering (at the time) fine of more than twenty-nine million dollars.

The recent trial and judgment was suspected by some of causing instability in the markets, contributing to the Wall Street Panic. The cynical view that the privileged class invariably escaped justice, as alleged in the cartoon of “Ding” Darling, was confirmed a year later when the decision was reversed by a higher court.

The presiding judge in the Standard Oil case had been Kennesaw Mountain Landis, a lanky and folksy character as colorful as his name. He parlayed the notoriety he gained from the case, and his persona, into a more successful career a dozen years later as the first Commissioner of Baseball.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-22

Creator(s)

Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962

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