Planks for the platform

President Roosevelt and William H. Taft carry the “tariff revision” plank from the “Roosevelt saw-mill” run by “the big stick” saw. Beside Roosevelt and Taft are the “anti-injunction plank” and the “postal savings banks” and the “do-somethingism” planks.

comments and context

Comments and Context

It is likely that cartoonist Ralph Wilder of the Chicago Record-Herald meant to favorably suggest that milling the famed Big Stick into sturdy planks would build a commendable new Administration.

The assumptions included that Roosevelt was in favor of tariff reform, and he was — having been persuaded in that direction William H. Taft, beginning with arguments for “fair trade” and reciprocity arrangements with America’s new overseas possessions. A postal savings bank (and rural free delivery) were reforms birthed in Roosevelt’s term and seen through under President Taft. “Do-Somethingism” is a reference to Congressional logjams, as Old Guard Republican leaders in Congress often resisted Roosevelt’s initiatives.

The plank labeled “anti-injunction” was a position urged on the Republican part by Samuel Gompers of the American Federation of Labor before the convention. It, and several other agenda requests, were rejected by the Republicans but incorporated into the Democrat platform. Henceforth Gompers and many of his union followers left the Republican Party — where he had a generally amiable relationship with Roosevelt since the early 1880s — and became lifelong Democrats.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-13

Creator(s)

Wilder, Ralph, 1875-1924

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