Secretary Taft, the world’s greatest lightning change artist

Secretary of War William H. Taft is depicted in the attire of various countries: Japan, France, China, Russia, and Germany. At the top of the cartoon is State of Colorado Executive Office letterhead and a handwritten note that reads, “This is the most delicious of all the Taft cartoons.. I have sent one to Mr. Vorys for Secretary Taft.. This one is for the President.. With compliments, Henry A. Buchtel.. October. 31, 1907..”

comments and context

Comments and Context

This clipping from the White House scrapbook of political cartoons is unique beyond its intrinsic contents. It was sent to the White House by an amused reader, the governor of Colorado, Henry Augustus Buchtel. He also (as cited in his handwritten note) sent the same clipping to an assistant of Secretary of War William H. Taft.

Taft was the leading and presumptive candidate among a field of other Republican aspirants for the nomination and, as President Roosevelt’s preference, Buchtel assumed the president would be likewise amused. The clipping intended for Taft was sent to the attention of Arthur I. Vorys, an Ohio member of the Republican National Committee, and one of Taft’s campaign managers in the 1908 presidential campaign.

The cartoon itself is a playful treatment of Taft, and a reference to his overseas trips on behalf of President Roosevelt. Largely neglected by history is the portfolio Roosevelt assigned to Taft — in parts, Secretary of War, Secretary of State, and ambassador. History remembers Taft as a judge (an eventual Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and that was indeed his first love. But Taft served colonial gubernatorial posts in Cuba and Manila; he oversaw matters concerning the Panama Canal construction; and he undertook diplomatic missions to the Far East, including Japan, with sensitive assignments. Roosevelt handled many aspects of the State Department’s traditional purviews himself, especially in the waning months of John Hay’s life; and Elihu Root was extremely competent as Hay’s successor; yet Roosevelt conducted personal diplomacy nonetheless, and would rely on Taft as his emissary at times.

Cartoonist Ryan Walker therefore made light of Taft’s many missions, and in the attire of nations he did and did not visit. But cartoonists have their fun. At this time Walker drew for the International Syndicate out of Baltimore, a newspaper service offering Socialist content to subscribing newspapers. The Pueblo Chieftain was too small a paper to have its own cartoonist. (The larger newspaper in the small city was the Sun, a member of the growing chain, the Scripps-McRae League.) Whether it had Socialist tendencies or not, this Walker cartoon — although he was to turn quite radical in a few years’ time — is strictly humorous commentary.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-26

Creator(s)

Walker, Ryan

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