The bear—”Why not refer your little difficulty, gentlemen, to my court of arbitration at The Hague?”

Secretary of State John Hay and President Roosevelt argue with one another over a scroll of paper labeled “Kishinev Massacre protest.” A bear labeled “Russia” stands in the doorway. Caption: The bear—”Why not refer your little difficulty, gentlemen, to my court of arbitration at The Hague?”

Comments and Context

The general revulsion against the Kishinev Massacre in Moldova, at the hands of Tsar Nicholas’s Cossacks — a reported forty-nine deaths and six hundred in juries — was shared by President Theodore Roosevelt. That it was part of a series of repressive acts against ethnic minorities in Russian provinces, and democratic activities, did not mitigate the demands for reprisals against the Russian Court.

American Jews were understandably outraged by the pogrom, and pressured the government to, at least, register a diplomatic protest. Roosevelt was informed by the American ambassador at St. Petersburg that Russia would, formally, not “receive” such a protest — an act of diplomatic impertinence that offended the president. 

Yet Roosevelt refused to let the issue die. He prominently received Jewish leaders in the White House; he exhausted alternate means of conveying the nation’s feelings; and he urged Jewish leaders to agitate and gather petitions in the United States, all of which increased international pressure on the Tsar. Inn the course of these campaigns, and mobilized pressure by American Jews, the American Jewish Committee was founded.

Stewart’s cartoon is rather remarkable in that it indicated an awareness, enough to make it the drawing’s theme, that Roosevelt and his Secretary of State John Hay, had a degree of disagreement on the response to the Massacre. There was never a confrontation, as pictured, and was mostly — obviously not totally — behind the scenes.

Through the decades Hay, as journalist and diplomat, had chosen to identify with Jewish causes, especially regarding persecution (for instance in Romania). So he was inclined to act boldly with a protest against Kishinev. Roosevelt — no less outraged over the pogrom — wanted to preserve American diplomatic power and was not willing to suffer the insult of a rejected communication (he did favor, however, such acts as forwarding petitions from the B’nai B’rith and other groups). Additionally, as to the friction between Roosevelt and Hay, the Secretary’s health was failing, and the president was growing more frustrated with Hay’s lassitude. Roosevelt, for instance, had instructed Hay to renegotiate a Canal treaty; and excluded him from actions appertaining to Colombian negotiations and Panamanian independence.

Hay, who had been President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary and a friend of Roosevelt’s father, had obvious credentials and personal affiliations to Theodore Roosevelt. As his health declined, he expressed a desire to retire, but Roosevelt prevailed upon him to remain in office. Even when Hay was frail and housebound, the president called on him every Sunday, validating his respect and the importance of Hay’s presence in the cabinet. His role, however, became increasingly ceremonial.

At the time of this cartoon’s publication Roosevelt needed advice on the delivery of diplomatic protests, historical precedents, and so forth. But, while never never sparring with Hay in public, as cartoonist Stewart suggested, the president relied more on ambassadors and the Assistant Secretary of State.         

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-07-05

Creator(s)

Stewart, Donald Farquharson, 1880-1945

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