Do you really think Roosevelt has gone too far?

In the first section of the cartoon, the “Congress” cat is asleep as “graft” mice eat from the “public lands & timber” and “Post Office Dept” bags and the “National Treasury” barrel. One mouse says, “Why don’t you get a basket? You can carry more.” Caption: When you consider the conditions that existed for years in national affairs– In the second section, Roosevelt holds a “reform” big stick and tells the “Congress” cat to “Get busy!” Congress replies, “You are violating all precedents.” Many “graft” mice lie dead on the ground.

Comments and Context

It is interesting to note several important historical facts as conveyed by political cartoonist Jay N. “Ding” Darling.

With fewer than two months left in his Administration, and as the cartoon makes clear, President Roosevelt was as earnest as ever he had been, in this matter and others, fighting corruption.

It is notable that after two terms in office, Roosevelt was still the center of attention and commentary, while William H. Taft was enjoying his electoral victory and, presumably, assembling his cabinet… but not the universal notice of (at least) political cartoonists.

Post office corruption continued to be a source of corruption and the target of reform measures. In 1903 major reforms in the Post Office were commenced by Roosevelt; and scant months before this cartoon, the president ordered a substantial number of postmaster positions struck from patronage rolls and made competitive. In fact, beginning in 1889 when Roosevelt was Commissioner of the Civil Service Bureau, he did battle with political patronage and corruption in the Post Office, even against officials in his own party.

Notable, too, is the identification of “Public Lands and Timber” as a source of corruption. A few years earlier, “Wall Street,” “Monopolies,” “Railroad Regulation,” and other evils might have been the labels. But legislative and regulatory reforms under the Square Deal was seeing that those areas were being monitored.

“Public Lands and Timber” were significant new issues. As conservation measures took effect, corrupt interests sought access to government lands and certain exploitation exceptions. Also, as railroads spread across the continent, developers were given considerations within spaces along routes, and speculators illegally were acquiring rights. It was a new vista of corruption requiring government attention. Indeed, although largely forgotten today, one of the major scandals of the Taft Administration would be the corrupt acquisition of resource-rich government lands by the Guggenheim interests in Alaska.

Finally, Ding’s sincere concern about these issues, and his conviction that the president’s work was essential, is indicated by his portrayal of Roosevelt. The cartoonist was a superb caricaturist, but in this cartoon his realistic depiction said that he was as sincere as the president.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-13

Creator(s)

Darling, Jay N. (Jay Norwood), 1876-1962

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