Our Diogenes finds an honest man at last

President Roosevelt wears a cape and holds a mirror and a candle. In front of him is a “muckrake.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

After the 1908 election, it seemed that some Democratic cartoonists could not let go of attacking President Roosevelt, even as the challenges facing President-Elect William H. Taft and other topics loomed. This cartoon, mocking Roosevelt as a modern Diogenes in search of an honest man, almost seems ad hominem.

But the date suggests that its theme is related to the controversy surrounding the accusations of financial malfeasance at the time of the Panamanian revolution, the United States’ acquisition of permits and rights, and substantial payments made to various parties. The president’s brother-in-law Douglas Robinson was named by two yellow journals, but the allegations were quickly withdrawn, never substantiated, and seldom repeated. The New York World then made much of the president’s claim that French parties received monies they were owed from old contracts, but did not mention that a J. P. Morgan bank handled the transaction. The “mysterious syndicate” became an issue as Roosevelt accused the World of lying; and the World called the president a liar. The president’s Attorney General sued the World for libel.

Rogers tried hard to introduce a new animal into the political cartooning bestiary — a cat with a rake for a head, representing Muckrakers. The ugly icon never had life in cartoons other than Rogers’.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-13

Creator(s)

Rogers, W. A. (William Allen), 1854-1931

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