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President Roosevelt, Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, and Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich walk out of the “National Treasury” with “aid for Italy” money bags.
Comments and Context
Foreign aid as we know it today was never a major part of the national government’s attention or priorities, and even in President Roosevelt’s era the source of American monies sent overseas was largely the work of charities and church organizations.
In late 1908 there were major tremors in Messina, Sicily, and in the entire region between that island and the Italian mainland. A week after the first devastation it increased in severity — with the explosion of Mount Etna, major earthquakes and fissures, and a tsunami.
America responded; its official response possibly heightened by the fact that a substantial percentage of new Americans (1900-1910 saw the heaviest influx of immigrants to the United States) was from Southern Italy.
Ralph Wilder’s careful depiction of the president and leaders of the House and Senate, and the caption, was a pointed acknowledgement of the current imbroglio between the White House and Congress over the Secret Service expansion controversy.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1909-01-04
Creator(s)
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:
They’ll work together to-day. [January 4, 1909]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302014. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Wilder, Ralph, 1875-1924. They’ll work together to-day. [4 Jan. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302014.
APA:
Wilder, Ralph, 1875-1924., [1909, January 4]. They’ll work together to-day.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302014.
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 5, 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.
