Hill, James J. (James Jerome), 1838-1916

Lee C. Spooner believes Americans share the sentiment that poverty can and must be abolished and proposes how this can be accomplished, primarily by turning competition into cooperation. He argues that the laborers are the enemy of the republic, as they either turn to crime or revolution. To feel the responsibility of citizenship, the laborer must first own property. Spooner proposes they be granted a one-acre, suburban tract of land with a house through a federal initiative. Next, the prohibition of liquor will prevent laborers from wasting their earnings. Instead, they can then invest their earnings in federally regulated trusts. This redistribution of wealth will bring “socialism by purchase” and the end of poverty.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-04-19

Arthur T. Morse wrote Theodore Roosevelt during his presidency and has decided to write again regarding William H. Taft. Morse feels the Republican Party accepted Taft’s platform at the last Republican National Convention, but as soon as Taft was inaugurated, he changed course. The nomination of 1912 is between Taft and Robert M. La Follette, and unless there is a deadlock and the party turns to him, Roosevelt needs to stay out of the game and not make the same mistake he made in the last election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-16

President Roosevelt explains to Paul Morton that E. P. Ripley’s accusations regarding his “assault on the railroads” are untrue. Roosevelt has done nothing to intentionally turn public opinion against the railroads, and the prosecution of the Standard Oil Company is warranted. He asks Morton which specific act Ripley takes issue with.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-02

Paul Morton returns the page from Boston’s Evening Transcript with feedback. Morton believes the main reason that railroad service has deteriorated is because of the large volume of traffic they are forced to move. Morton also thinks that shippers are using railroads cars for storage instead of the transportation of goods. According to Morton, labor unions play a part in the inefficiency in the railroad service.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-05

Railroad executive W. C. Brown explains to Joseph Nimmo, a statistician working on the Interstate Commerce Commission, the extent to which poor public confidence in railroads will impact the overall finance of railroad companies. Brown has confidence in the Interstate Commerce Commission in its regulation decisions. He believes the “abuses and hurtful practices” of some railroad companies have been stopped, but continues to be concerned about the “universal and indiscriminate” condemnation of the railroad companies. Brown hopes President Roosevelt will appeal for fair and reasonable treatment of the railroads to restore confidence in them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-22

Brooks Adams writes to President Roosevelt to express his concern and offer advice in regards to Roosevelt’s attempt to “force through a new policy” that is opposed by titans of industry, finance, and the press. Adams also details how opponents support making Joseph Benson Foraker president by capitalizing on the Brownsville Affair. Adams’s primary advice for Roosevelt is to fight relentlessly at every opportunity to eventually force a popular vote on the issue.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-06

Paul Morton, President of Equitable Life Insurance, clarifies E. P. Ripley’s stance on President Theodore Roosevelt and the railroads. Morton points out the false information Roosevelt has received regarding the prosecution of the Standard Oil corporation. Railroads are seeing an increase in expenses and a decrease in net earnings. Morton hopes that Roosevelt approves of his letter to Ripley.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-04

President Roosevelt celebrates his forty-ninth birthday with a variety of friends. In the upper left hand corner at the piano are New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Thomas Fortune Ryan singing, “Oh let us be joyful.” Booker T. Washington tells Henry Watterson, “Henry, I hope you’ll come down and visit me at Tuskegee.” Senator Joseph Benson Foraker says to Secretary of War William H. Taft, “I heard a good story today, Will.” Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks look at a picture of George Washington, and Fairbanks says, “That picture makes me sad. It reminds me of cherries.” William Randolph Hearst, James Roscoe Day, and Secretary of State Elihu Root look at a book of “Snapshots in New York.” William Jennings Bryan and Grover Cleveland play a game of checkers, and Bryan says, “After you, Grover.” J. Pierpont Morgan watches over the game with his hand on Bryan’s back. Henry Huttleston Rogers, F. Augustus Heinze, and Thomas William Lawson sit together. Lawson says, “Rogers, my boy, you must come over to Boston and visit me.” John D. Rockefeller points at Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s chest while President Roosevelt presents a bouquet to James J. Hill as William J. Long looks on. Finally, James T. Harahan, Edward Henry Harriman, and Stuyvesant Fish read “Snap Shots Along the Illinois Central.” Harriman remarks, “Very nice album, Stuyvesant, is it not?”

comments and context

Comments and Context

There are contexts behind this cartoon by John T. McCutcheon of The Chicago Tribune that might not be apparent to modern researchers. The first is somewhat evident by reading the dialog balloons between figures in the pairings or clusters. Almost appropriate for an April Fool’s cartoon instead of something closer to Halloween is the ironic juxtaposition in every case — political opponents or business rivals exchanging niceties. In fact, insights might be gained by reading the nature of their “about-face” encounters.

President Roosevelt cuts another notch—”federal control of railroads”—in his big stick that already has several notches: “meat inspection,” “canal,” “R.R. rate regulation,” and “pure food.” In the background are James J. Hill, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Edward Henry Harriman holding knives with a banner behind them, “Angry R.R. magnates in their one act come by, entitled. We’re always agin the president.”

comments and cont

Comments and Context

Seldom does a political cartoon simultaneously hit the mark in the presentation of an idea, or explanation of a situation in the news, and convey real humor (if such was intended). The otherwise little-known St. Louis cartoonist Elmer C. Donnell achieved both in this textbook-explication of President Roosevelt, his reform agenda — “his policies” — and relationship and reactions of America’s most prominent trust magnates of the day.

Three pilgrims (Edward Henry Harriman, J. Pierpont Morgan, and James J. Hill) look toward the Sphinx that has President Roosevelt’s head. Caption: The Pilgrims Who Sought an Oracle Find a Sphynx

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-01

President Roosevelt is decked out with boxing gloves, prepared to hit a boxing bag with a face on it. In the foreground is a large weight labeled, “R.R. statistics,” and a teddy bear about to swing a club at a train. A man checks the calendar and three men are pictured on the wall, including J. Pierpont Morgan, Edward Henry Harriman, and likely James J. Hill.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Following the meeting between President Theodore Roosevelt and J. Pierpont Morgan, representing major railroad executives, on March 12 in the White House, and many other discussions since January on matters of concern to the industry, the president was understood to be preparing a speech on the subject.

On the “then” side stands a short President Roosevelt holding a paper that reads, “Railroad Regulation Proposition.” Surrounding him are railroad magnates that are saying, “Oh, I must smile,” “‘Tis to laugh!” and “Hee haw!” On the “now” side stands an extremely tall Roosevelt with railroad magnates bowing at his feet.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Two days after a notable White House meeting between President Roosevelt and J. Pierpont Morgan, representing the nation’s major railroad interests, cartoonist Clifford Kennedy Berryman drew this cartoon about the adjusted perceptions of power-figures in the momentous legislative and regulatory wrangles over consolidation, routes, and rates.

Two men struggle to keep a small boat in rough waters from foundering against the “Administration Light,” a lighthouse in the shape of Theodore Roosevelt’s face. The larger man is J. P. “Morgan.” The smaller man, James J. “Hill,” holds a rope in the form of a ticker tape labeled the “New York Stock Market.” In the rough waters are both “undigested securities” and “circuit court decisions.” The flag hoisted on the mast is labeled with a dollar sign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-04-16

Eight men and one woman are seated or standing around a table. Each is identified with a Cabinet position: J.P. Morgan as “Sec’y Navy,” Thomas W. Lawson as “Sec’y War,” Thomas F. Ryan as “Att’y Gen’l,” James J. Hill as “Sec’y Int,” James H. Hyde as “Sec’y Com. and Lab.”, Russell Sage as “Sec’y Agric,” Henrietta “Hetty” Green as “Post Mistress Gen’l,” Andrew Carnegie as “Sec’y State,” and John D. Rockefeller as “Sec’y Treas.” Setting on the table is a statue labeled “Golden Calf,” and hanging on the wall are portraits of “Midas” and “Croesus.” On the far left is a ticker tape machine. Caption: “There is not in my Cabinet one man to whom it is not a financial disadvantage to stay in the Cabinet.”–President Roosevelt at Asbury Park.

comments and context

Comments and Context

This cartoon by Joseph Keppler, Junior, is more of an ad hominem attack on personalities than Puck was used to make. There is no political or policy subtext, either about the Roosevelt cabinet as the president is quoted describing. Nor were any of the moguls at the table imminent appointees. This is merely having fun (except for the obvious venom in the depictions) with Roosevelt’s statement about the financial status of his department secretaries.

The wreck of an airship labeled “High Finance” appears at the leading edge of storm clouds labeled “Investigation [and] Merger Decision Law.” The crash has ruined the blades that lifted or propelled the airship, labeled “Over Capitalization, Manipulation, Ship Building Trust, Steel Trust, [and] Northern Securities,” and has brought down six men (“Morgan, Schwab, M’Cook, Harriman, Schiff, [and] Hill”) with the wreckage and two men (“Dresser [and] Nixon”) in a swamp labeled “Ship Trust Receivership.” A lightning bolt labeled “Publicity” flashes from the clouds.

comments and context

Comments and Context

There is a specific context of this cartoon.

A diminutive President Roosevelt stands on Wall Street, holding a large sword labeled “Public Service” before giant capitalist ogres labeled “J. J. Hill” holding a club labeled “Merger,” “Morgan” holding a club labeled “High Finance,” and “Rockefeller, Oxnard, [and] Gould.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Cavernous Wall Street, with Trinity Church at its western end, and the statue of George Washington marking the spot where the first president took his first oath of office, is pictured in realistic proportions in Joseph Keppler’s cartoon. But then the prerogatives of a cartoonist: the financial titans of Wall Street are oversized, and the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, is diminutive.

President Roosevelt defends hosting miners and labors leaders from Butte, Montana to lunch at the White House. They were all decent men and Roosevelt does not believe that any of them were involved with strike “outrages.” Some labor unions encourage rioting and violence but that is not sufficient grounds to discriminate against every member of any labor union.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-26

Theodore Roosevelt believes that information provided to common citizens is poisoned by the media, that corruption is too prevalent, and that private interests can blind businessmen to the needs of the people.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-06-04

President Roosevelt is concerned over the accusations made by Edward Henry Harriman, a prominent railroad executive, particularly a “wilful untruth” concerning a request to raise money for the Republican party during the 1904 presidential campaign. Roosevelt tells Representative Sherman that he believes the dispute with Harriman stems from a dissatisfaction with regulations made on interstate commerce, particularly affecting railroads. Harriman is also disappointed that Roosevelt failed to appoint Senator Chauncey M. Depew as Ambassador to France as he had requested, and refuses to support the Republican party as long as Roosevelt’s policies dominate. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-08

President Roosevelt responds to Outlook editor Lyman Abbott’s comments on the sections of Roosevelt’s recent “muck-rake speech” dealing with the inheritance tax. Roosevelt did not mean to suggest that such a tax would be the only measure necessary to deal with the amassing of large fortunes, but wished to bring attention to the fact that it would help. He believes that a progressive income tax would also be good, but feels that it is harder to frame such a measure, while modifying the tariff would have a minimal effect on such fortunes. Roosevelt is puzzled by Abbott’s comments about taxing land, and asks if he is trying to revive the theories of Henry George, or if he is referring to something else. Regardless, Roosevelt feels the language is too vague to be useful, while he was trying to bring attention to specific measures that could be accomplished. He was surprised the portion of his speech dealing with labor leaders has received little attention; while he feels that the amassing of great fortunes is harmful to the United States, so too is the sort of violence resulting from “unhealthy sentimentality and morbid class consciousness” like that of socialist leader Eugene V. Debs.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-23