A little trouble on hand

President Roosevelt attempts to climb the “1904 second term” train with Uncle Sam as the conductor. A large “Wall St.” bear growls in his face.

comments and context

Comments and Context

This Boston Traveler political cartoon looked ahead to the 1904 presidential election and correctly forecast that Wall Street was generally unhappy with President Theodore Roosevelt’s reforms and trust-busting initiatives. The landmark and iconic anti-trust case, United State vs Northern Securities, was before the Supreme Court but would not be decided until early in 1904.

Curiously (in deciphering the cartoonist’s point of view) Uncle Sam is in the cab of the “Second Term” Express — not a generic “1904 campaign” train — and appears neither startled nor worried about the snarling Wall Street bear.

It was axiomatic that the financial community and trust magnates were upset or least wary of Roosevelt’s intentions; however the Democratic party, under the Populist-tinged theories of William Jennings Bryan for almost a decade, was no friendlier home. As most observers assumed, Wall Street powers would maintain their longtime loyalties to the parties in the 1904 campaign, despite winds of reform.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06-01

Creator(s)

DeMar, John L., 1865-1926

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)

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