Democratic Party (U.S.)

Alton B. Parker, William Jennings Bryan, David B. Hill, Arthur P. Gorman, Tammany Hall boss Charles Murphy, William Randolph Hearst, an unidentified rower, and Grover Cleveland sit in an eight-oared racing shell in a race against President Roosevelt, who is rowing as a single sculler in an eight-oared shell. The Democrats are proving to be poor scullers, as they are unable to manage their oars. Caption: Stroke Parker–Now […], boys, get together!

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Cartoonist Keppler’s depiction of the 1904 presidential race is a fair analogy. Unseen in this battered, vintage copy is President Roosevelt, the lone sculler in the Republican scull, and far ahead. The only satisfied figures among the Democrats are candidate Alton Brooks Parker, presidential candidate, at the front, and former president Grover Cleveland, the party’s elder statesman whose influence succeeded in Parker’s nomination and a conservative platform. Mirroring the dissatisfaction of the Democrats is the cross-purposes of their oars in the water.

Thomas Taggart, Democratic National Committee Chairman, on the left, and George B. Cortelyou, Republican National Committee chairman, on the right, milk a cow into buckets labeled “Dem. Campaign Fund” and “Rep. Campaign Fund.” A bell labeled “Wall Street” hangs from a ribbon labeled “Trust Interests” around the cow’s neck.

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Cartoonist Keppler’s caricatures of Tom Taggart and George B. Cortelyou generally reflected their gifts used in 1904 as chairmen of their national political parties.

Democrats and Republicans, capitalists, social reformers, political symbols, and others enjoy a summer outing at a park.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904-08-17

Alton B. Parker as “Little Bopeep” sits on a rock labeled “Esopus,” tending a flock of sheep labeled “Gold Democrat” with their tails labeled “Vote.” The sheep are entering a pasture labeled “Democratic Fold – Four Years of Clover.” A ribbon tied to the shepherd’s crook states “Gold Standard.” Includes verse: Little Bopeep has lost her sheep, / But she doesn’t have to mind them. / Let ’em alone and they’ll come home / And bring their tails behind them.

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This cartoon is a textbook example of wishful thinking. Puck had advocated for years that an alternative be found in the Democratic Party — a conservative who advocated in the Gold Standard and “Sound Money,” instead of the radical Populist William Jennings Bryan, the presidential standard-bearer in 1896 and 1900.

Puck, as a professor, shows a slide of the germs infecting the Democratic Party. Shown are William Jennings Bryan labeled “Bryanism,” William Randolph Hearst who is labeled “Yellow Journalism,” a man labeled “Anarchism” and an old man labeled “Populism,” and a firebrand labeled “Platforms” with flames labeled “Chicago” and “Kansas City.” “Free Riot” and “Free Silver” also appear among the germs on the slide. Caption: Puck — Gentlemen, we have here the most dangerous germs in the body politic.

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Puck prided itself on being independent, but had generally supported Democrats since its founding in 1876. Around the time of this cartoon, with the 1904 Democratic presidential nominating convention weeks away, the magazine proved its partisan bona fides — at this time a conservative streak of democracy — by offering avuncular advice by a magic-lantern lecture.

New York City Mayor George B. McClellan and Police Commissioner William McAdoo are pictured washing the Tammany Tiger labeled “Corruption” and “Graft.” In the background, Tammany Hall boss Charles F. Murphy is posting a notice for the “Democratic Convention” on July 6 in Saint Louis, Missouri.

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In 1904, New York City had a new Democratic mayor, George B. McClellan, son of the Civil War general and 1864 Democratic presidential candidate against Abraham Lincoln; and a new “boss” of Tammany Hall, the city’s corrupt Democrat machine.

Alton B. Parker, David B. Hill, John Sharp Williams, Arthur P. Groman, Richard Olney, and Grover Cleveland ride on a camel labeled “Reorganization” crossing the “Desert of Bryanism.” William Jennings Bryan tries to hold back the camel by the tail, and William Randolph Hearst tries to prevent Bryan from being pulled along toward an “Oasis” labeled “Sane Democracy.”

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Starting around 1902, Puck assayed the Democratic field of possible presidential candidates to run against the incumbent, President Roosevelt. The pack of conservative, “Bourbon,” and “Gold” Democrats — opponents of William Jennings Bryan and a third nomination by him or a follower (such as publisher William Randolph Hearst) — usually included the same faces, reflecting the national political machinations.

William Jennings Bryan sits on a donkey on the “Democratic Merry-Go-Round.” He is holding up a yellow, diminutive William Randolph Hearst who has a small sword labeled with dollar signs ($) in his right hand, attempting to spear the “Nomination” hanging at the bottom of the canopy of the merry-go-round.

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William Randolph Hearst is depicted in Pughe’s cartoon as a plaything of William Jennings Bryan, but the actual situation — the political dynamic between Bryan and Hearst, and the politics of the moment — was different.

President Roosevelt appears as a dog in the “Republican Kennels,” with his trainer Mark “Hanna.” In the “Democratic Kennels,” an old woman labeled “Dem. Party” pats Alton B. “Parker” on the head and offers him a biscuit labeled “Political Sanity.” Other Democratic dogs George “Gray,” Richard “Olney,” David B. “Hill,” and Arthur P. “Gorman” labeled “Senatorial Leadership” and “Panama Issue” are kenneled nearby. Hanging on the wall is a picture of “Cleveland” with ribbons labeled “1884” and “1892,” and in the lower left is a cage labeled “Distemper” with William Jennings Bryan as a dog bandaged with “1896” and “1900” sitting inside before a small dish labeled “Free Silver.” In the center is a small dog labeled “Yellow Journalism Willie Hearst.”

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This cartoon appeared in Puck in the second week of February 1904 — five months before the actual Democrat Party presidential nominating convention. Pughe’s cartoon of a dog show mirrored Puck Magazine’s editorial desires, as per the depictions, dignified or mocking, of possibles candidates; and the nature of the labels. Also the expressions of the dogs in the kennel show reliably reflect the confidence of the various candidates. Further, the kind attentions to the otherwise obscure New York Judge Alton Brooks Parker — the eventual nominee, pushed by back-bench conservative Democrats — by the old spinster representing the Democratic Party, is prescient.

William Jennings Bryan, as a parrot, chatters at an old woman labeled “Democratic Party.” He is perched on a stand labeled “Dead Issues” with a food dish labeled “Populism,” and squawking “The Moral Issue!! Free Silver!! Kansas City Platform!! [and] 16 to 1.”

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The clear message of this cartoon by Pughe, Puck‘s go-to animal artist in most cases, is that William Jennings Bryan, Populist firebrand who stormed the Democrat Party in 1896 and held it in thrall for eight years, had clearly worn out his welcome, especially after two failed presidential runs.

Photograph of an event held by the Democratic Party at a campground in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Creation Date

1962

The “Dem. Party” donkey with six followers places “Cleveland’s cradle 1884” into a river. Pyramids are visible in the background.

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This cartoon by Joseph Keppler Junior mirrors very closely — down to the poses and scenery — a Puck cartoon by Bernhard Gillam almost exactly 20 years previous. In both cartoons, the Democratic Party was desperate for a Moses to lead from the political wilderness. The party in 1883 had been out of national power for 33 years; at the time of this cartoon they had not occupied the White House for six years. Grover Cleveland had been the only Democratic president since before Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it is Cleveland’s name inside the empty cradle.

A scarecrow in a corn field, labeled “Nomination,” is fashioned out of pieces of cloth labeled with the names of several states: “Indiana, Illinois, Mass., Mich., Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia, [and] New Jersey.” It wears a sash labeled “Repudiation.” Standing in the background is a farmer wearing a hat labeled “Democracy” and carrying a rifle labeled “Nat’l. Convention.” A crow labeled “Bryan,” with the face of William Jennings Bryan, is sitting on a fence, eyeing the corn field. Caption: The Democratic Farmer — If that doesn’t keep him out, I’ve got something here that’ll fix him.

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Pughe’s clever cartoon (and brilliant caricature) proved prescient, less than a year before the 1904 Democrat presidential nominating convention. The party (labeled “Democracy”) is depicted, in rare form, by a farmer rather than a donkey or animal form. His weapon to keep the crow Bryan from his field — if the ragtag scarecrow-of-states failed to repel the crow, is a shotgun labeled “National Convention.”

An old woman labeled “Democratic Party” stands in the “Democratic Intelligence Bureau” managed by “J.K. Jones” who is sitting behind a desk. She is “looking for help” and taking a good look at several prospective candidates, from left: David B. Hill “No objection to dirty work,” William Jennings Bryan “Used to waiting,” Richard Olney “Old but regular,” Edward M. Shepard “Will do anything,” Alton B. Parker “Neat and quiet,” and Arthur P. Gorman “Willing and obliging.”

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A common theme of the time among political cartoonists, even Democrat cartoonists, is the weak field of national candidates. In Pughe’s variation, this Puck cartoon pictures the old-maid Democrat lady looking for household help — a presidential candidate for the following year.

William Jennings Bryan, wearing the pope’s tiara and holding a scepter labeled “16 to 1,” jumps up and down and stamps his feet in anger, as six men labeled “Cleveland, Whitney, Hill, Gorman, Parker, [and] Olney” stand to the left, laughing.

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Pughe’s cartoon appeared shortly after the mid-term elections of 1902, during which the Democratic Party did not fare well, due in part to the popularity of the new president, Theodore Roosevelt, the continuing prosperity in the country, largely unabated since 1897, and what might be termed a fatigue with William Jennings Bryan. The “Commoner” had been the party’s presidential candidate in 1896 and 1900 and lost badly. His harping on the “16 to 1” free-silver coinage issue was growing thin.

William Jennings Bryan escorts an old woman labeled “Dem. Party” on his right arm. Coming up behind them is “A.B. Parker,” well-dressed, wearing a top hat and overcoat.

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Following up on Puck‘s center-spread cartoon of the previous week that featured a depiction of the obscure Alton Brooks Parker, this issue placed Parker on the front page. Keppler’s cartoon suggests that Parker, or rumors of his possible presidential candidacy, plagued the party’s titular leader William Jennings Bryan. Clearly there was a movement among the party’s conservative Eastern and “sound-money” wing, to boost Parker.

Outside a church, an old woman labeled “Democratic Party” stands between William Jennings Bryan as a friar labeled “16 to 1” and Arthur P. Gorman as the devil. She is smiling as she looks toward the devil. Caption: Mephisto Gorman — You’ve been fasting long enough with dull Friar William. Follow me. I’ll lead you to -.

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One of the thematic preoccupations of cartoonists in these years was the end of Lent — signifying (in cartoons, if not in real life) shedding the bonds of holy circumspection. In the interior pages, black-and-white humorous cartoons dealt with society girls and eligible bachelors.  Sometimes dealing with temptations. Cartoonist Pughe adds politics and current events to mix in this center-spread cartoon in Puck.

An old woman labeled “Democratic Party” turns a wheelbarrow to dump politicians labeled “Bryan, Olney, Gorman, Hill, Shepard, [and] Johnson” into a sandpit labeled the “Democratic Dumping Ground” where only the feet of other, previously discarded, Democrats are visible.

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What makes this cartoon particularly interesting to students of history is that the cartoonist Pughe was not criticizing Democrats from “across the aisle” or from an adversarial point of view. Puck Magazine was Democratic, and beseeched its own leaders, or moss-bound leaders of recent years, to clean house. Except for Grover Cleveland, there had been no Democratic president since before the Civil War. It is interesting that the cartoonist did not even label the politicians’ issues that failed to excite voters (free trade, bimetallism, anti-expansion), suggesting the leaders themselves had worn out their welcomes. Even Tom Johnson, reform mayor of Cleveland, is among the deplorables in Pughe’s cartoon.

William Jennings Bryan, as a pope wearing robes and a tiara labeled “16 to 1,” sits on a throne on a low pedestal labeled “Kansas City Platform.” Two Swiss guards stand next to him. The one on the left is labeled “Jones,” and the other on the right is labeled “Stone.” Caption: But Democrats have lost faith in his infallibility.

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As midterm elections loomed in 1902, William Jennings Bryan sought to assert his primacy in Democratic party councils. He had twice been beaten for the presidency, so his support — and support for his issues, for instance the bimetallic plank in the 1900 (Kansas City) platform — was vital. The vassals behind Bryan are two of his more loyal supporters: Senator James K. Jones of Arkansas was Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and William J. Stone (at the time a year away from being elected to the United States Senate from Missouri) was a contributor to Bryan’s magazine The Commoner. In 15 years’ time Stone would be one of six senators to vote against declaring war on Germany.

A donkey labeled “Democratic Party” stares at a dog labeled “Bryan” with the face of William Jennings Bryan, lying on a bed of hay labeled “Nomination.”

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William Jennings Bryan had twice led his party to defeat, in 1896 and 1900, as the Democrat standard-bearer. As such, however, he was still the nominal head of the national party, despite the partisans of former president Grover Cleveland and a scarce few others. In the mid-term elections of 1902 (this cartoon appearing in the midst of that campaign) Bryanites held sway, but poor electoral results, coupled with the immense popularity of President Roosevelt, would disabuse Bryan and his followers of a third straight nomination in 1904. A conservative presidential candidate, Judge Alton Brooks Parker of New York, was nominated for president and state tickets reflected a less Populist tone in platforms. The Democrats lost by record margins in 1904, and Bryan returned in 1908 as presidential candidate.