Christmas cards!

President Roosevelt is dressed as Santa Claus and puts “liar” Christmas cards into the “editors stockings.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed extraordinarily friendly relations with the press, or, specifically, with reporters. Newspapers, owners, and many editors dissented from Roosevelt’s policies, but many reporters from such papers enjoyed access to the White House and friendly relations with the president. In the days before regular press conferences and formal press briefings, it was probably Roosevelt who began the tradition of meeting with reporters or groups of reporters, sharing background information, and answering many questions. As a ground rule, reporters were required to respect Roosevelt when he asked not to be quoted directly; and they would be barred afterward if they violated trust.

Nevertheless, President Roosevelt had many disputes with newspapers; again, usually with publishers and owners. He disagreed with many, and their editorial stances; but in those days of yellow journalism and sensationalism, fake news (a term Roosevelt occasionally used, and was made famous by a successor) and manufactured stories were not uncommon.

By the end of his term, when this cartoon by Nelson Harding appeared, Roosevelt was known for calling a spade a spade, or a liar (in his view) a liar, which he did frequently. He invented an “Ananias Club” for liars, after the New Testament figure who was struck dead by the Holy Spirit for lying to the Church Fathers about tithe offerings. Roosevelt was restrained and dissuaded by his Attorney General from suing publishers several times. Of all publishers, the president’s ire was most directed at Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World. The rival, and Democrat, yellow-journal publisher William Randolph Hearst was merely scurrilous in Roosevelt’s regard, but Pulitzer he judged a liar.

In the 1908 presidential campaign, Hearst had exposed the “Archbold Letters,” purloined correspondence regarding Standard Oil’s corruption of politicians, and it was a major scandal in the election. Whether to gain his own spotlight or not, later in the campaign the Pulitzer papers alleged a financial scandal related to the Panama Canal.

The World (and the Indianapolis News) claimed a conspiracy between William Nelson Cromwell (a Brooklyn lawyer employed by French and Columbian interests involved with a proposed Panamanian canal), J. P. Morgan, Douglas Robinson; a banker and brother-in-law of Roosevelt; and Charles Phelps Taft, brother of William H. Taft — and that the conspiracy’s members profited from Canal negotiations, the United States payments to the old French investors, and others.

Roosevelt exploded in righteous indignation and denials, and directed a libel suit against Pulitzer. The publisher’s legendary editor Frank Irving Cobb admitted to his chief that the paper had no proof and based the story on a remark by Cromwell. Pulitzer exploded in righteous panic, and the story was kept alive by a technical admission of no proof, but many front-page headlines asking where “Panamanian money” “went.”

Three years after Roosevelt retired from the presidency, the Supreme Court dismissed United State vs Press Publishing Company on the grounds of lack of libel laws’ specificity and jurisdiction.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-08

Creator(s)

Harding, Nelson, -1944

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