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Uncle Sam mails a letter that reads, “To the President, Washington, D. C. Say, Mr. President, isn’t it about time to bounce the man who just laughed? Respt. Uncle Sam.” Caption: “Say that you asked the Postmaster-General about it, and that he just laughed.” Postmaster-Genl to the Press. May 1st, 1903.
Comments and Context
The statement by Postmaster General Henry Clay Payne about his management of the burgeoning Post Office scandal, and the words on Uncle Sam’s postcard, are reasonable representations of details anent the scandal. Charles Green Bush’s cartoon in the partisan (Democrat) New York World actually shows restraint despite the frustration.
Payne’s quotation, in the cartoon’s title, illustrates one of the many factors President Theodore Roosevelt juggled during this crisis. Payne was thoroughly honest in Roosevelt’s estimation — indeed, neither he nor Roosevelt were ever hinted to be involved in the long-running trails of corruption in the department — but Payne frequently was naïve in his dealings, especially with the press.
In Roosevelt’s correspondence during the heat of the scandal, he frequently unburdened himself about Payne’s undiplomatic zeal, and sometime innocent mistakes.
Roosevelt answered Uncle Sam’s letter — so to speak — by retaining Payne; firing others in the Postal service; granting Joseph Bristow, a crusading Fourth Assistant Postmaster, with anti-corruption powers; and assigning two subordinates (and later major figures in the Administration), Charles Bonaparte and James Garfield, to the myriad cases of corruption.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-06-21
Creator(s)
Bush, Charles Green, 1842-1909
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
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:
An open letter. [June 21, 1903]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302178. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Bush, Charles Green, 1842-1909. An open letter. [21 Jun. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302178.
APA:
Bush, Charles Green, 1842-1909., [1903, June 21]. An open letter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302178.
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 12, 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.
