Cartoon in the Washington Herald
Subject(s): Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925, Davis, Jeff, 1862-1913, Democratic donkey (Symbolic character), Republican elephant (Symbolic character), Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Speeches, addresses, etc.
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President Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan sit in an “our policies” wagon with boxes labeled “speeches W. J. B.” and “messages T. R.” The wagon is drawn by an elephant and a donkey. In a much smaller wagon, Arkansas Senator Jeff Davis is riding in “the inspirer” wagon drawn by a dog. He says, “Hooray!”
Comments and Context
Cartoonist Joseph Harry Cunningham looked ahead to the 1908 presidential nominating conventions and elections with the observation that President Roosevelt (who had declaimed interest in succeeding himself) and twice-defeated Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan shared increasingly similar views on some issues. The observation was not rare among cartoonists, but the amity depicted between the two men was certainly exaggerated.
Their smiles at least highlighted the contrast with Senator Jeff Davis of Arkansas, who is in a lowly and lonely dog-cart beside them. Davis was only beginning his one term in the Senate after having served as his state’s governor. There never was a serious prospect of Davis ever being a viable president, much less a candidate.
He frequently was classed with other Southern senators, including Benjamin R. Tillman and James Kimble Vardaman, scarcely reconstructed Secessionists and frank proponents of lynching. In a private letter to writer Ray Stannard Baker (June 3, 1908), Roosevelt said that Davis might have had good points because he was a human being, but that he, Roosevelt, “have not discovered them.” He took Baker to task for an article in The American Magazine for almost mathematically seeing good traits in all politicians. Davis, he charged, invariably championed the poor white element over blacks of all classes, and even cultured white citizens.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-02-07
Creator(s)
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946
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:
Cartoon in the Washington Herald. [February 7, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301703. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946. Cartoon in the Washington Herald. [7 Feb. 1908]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301703.
APA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946., [1908, February 7]. Cartoon in the Washington Herald.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301703.
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.
