Right over the plate, too!

William H. Taft is the catcher as he catches a ball “from T.R.” William Jennings Bryan swings and misses the pitched ball at the plate. The crowd has various responses: “Oh! Rotten,” “Whoof!!!” “Did Haskell touch 2nd,” “Aw go back t’ the bush league,” and “Who d’ye think y’are? Mike Donlin?”

comments and context

Comments and Context

The baseball setting in this cartoon by Floyd W. Triggs during the 1908 campaign features a memorable caricature of Democratic candidate Bryan missing the ball presumably pitched by President Roosevelt; at least the dark ball in the mitt of catcher William H. Taft, the Republican candidate, is labelled “from T.R.”

Fine-tuning the point of Triggs is to notice that the ball is not referring to the Square Deal nor Roosevelt’s much-discussed program for the future of his policies (outlined in the president’s Annual Message earlier in the year). Rather, “from T.R.” indicates that the cartoonist comments on the specific charges Roosevelt leveled at Bryan, his compromised allies, and the Democratic Party generally. stemming from the scandals and exposures contained in the “Archbold Letters” between the president of the Standard Oil trust and various politicians.

Bryan defended himself against Roosevelt’s charges, attempted a defense, but, to use baseball parlance, mostly struck out. It is interesting to note that in Triggs’s scenario, Taft is hardly a consequential player, merely catching the pitched ball. As the majority of political cartoons showed, Roosevelt was more of an active presence and player than the actual candidate, Taft.

Also interesting to note is a fan’s reference to Mike Donlin. “Turkey Mike” (so nicknamed for his distinctive strut) was, in this year, playing for the New York Giants, which he was to do at three different times; he played for seven teams overall in his baseball career. He was one of the best hitters of all time, and still has spots near the top of some categories’ records. In between some seasons Donlin appeared on the vaudeville stage, and he had a modest career in the nascent motion-picture industry, on the East Coast and in Hollywood, where he died in 1933.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-01

Creator(s)

Triggs, Floyd W. (Floyd Wilding), -1919

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