Street-railroads

This postcard shows a very busy street in Paris, with a profusion of pedestrians, carts, and busses. In the background stands the Cathedral of Notre Dame, as well as other large buildings. Charles C. Myers explains that this is one of the principal rendezvous points of many bus and street car lines, and describes Parisian public transit.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “This shows a busy square in Paris, on the east bank of the River Sein, and the principle rendezvoux [sic] of many omnibuses and also a transfer point of several street car lines. The street cars of Paris are of the double deck type–one penny if you ride above and two pennies if you ride below. In the distant [sic] is the twin towers of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most noted church buildings in the world.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

This postcard shows a portion of a suburb of Santiago de Cuba. A streetcar travels on the left side of the card, while the right is taken up by a church building. The street pictured in the photo is empty apart from the streetcar, and there are few trees in the vicinity. Hills can be seen in the far distance.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “A view in the suburbs of Santiago.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

This postcard shows a streetcar line running between a stand of palm trees on one side and power lines on the other. Charles C. Myers specifies that this view is along the street in front of the botanical gardens in Rio de Janeiro.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Here we are, our car now stoping [sic] at the main entrance to the Botanical gardens which is the finest in the world and a visit to these wonderful gardens is one of pleasure and appreciation and one never to be forgotten and one really should have several days to spare when visiting this place as it is same as trying to see everything on the worlds fair grounds all in one day.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

A collection of editorials by Alfred H. Holman in The Argonaut covers politics and industrial topics in the San Francisco Bay area. Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz is on trial and control of mayoral power lies in the balance. Strikes affecting streetcar and telephone service are losing steam, with employers claiming that the unions are acting in bad faith. The involvement of Rudolph Spreckels and Patrick Calhoun in the prosecution of Schmitz is examined. Holman has little faith in the industrial conciliation meeting to be held in San Francisco. Holman also makes recommendations regarding fire safety and railroad management.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-29

Vignettes depict transcontinental journeys by various modes of transportation. Circus performers tumble and roll their way across the country, a street railroad car from New York City arrives at the Rocky Mountains, a child travels in a pedal car with his nurse following by rail, a man golfs his way from coast to coast, members of a country club drink their way from roadhouse to roadhouse, waiters carry a tray of food from the mayor of New York City to the mayor of Seattle, an African American vaudeville couple dances across the continent, and two tramps hitch a ride on a railroad.

Comments and Context

S. D. Ehrhart’s theme-and-variation cartoon vignettes is a seeming fantasy — logical extensions of the idea of cross-country marathons. It deals with humorous exaggeration, but scarcely is fantasy; it was based in fact.

As early as 1897 there was a Yellow Kid transcontinental bicycle race sponsored by the newspaper chain of William Randolph Hearst, and by the middle of the next decade there was indeed a “cross-continent mania.” The American versions probably were spurred by French and English marathons (surviving today in such events as the annual Tour de France).

Roscoe Conkling holds a corkscrew labeled “Investigation,” and attempts to pull the cork that shows the face of Jacob Sharp out of a bottle with a label that states “Jacob Sharp’s Private Information about the Broadway Railroad Steal.” On shelves in the background are the “Aldermanic Bottles to be Opened Next.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1886-02-17

A man, possibly Jacob Sharp or one of the aldermen he bribed, holds a carpetbag labeled “Broadway Street Car Boodle,” and looks up at a street sign pointing in two directions, to the left “To Canada” and to the right “To Sing Sing” where a policeman waits, holding a “Warrant Arrest.” A man on the left, carrying a similarly labeled carpetbag, is running toward the river where there is a sign labeled “Ferry.” Across the river are estates labeled “Chase, Stewart, Scott, Eno, [and] Mandelbaum.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1886-01-27

Three well-dressed women with large bonnets discuss the fare on a street railroad while the conductor discreetly turns away.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-01-12

Theodore Roosevelt is dressed as an elderly woman, wearing furs, and holding on to a strap labeled “The Outlook” on a crowded streetcar. He is addressing the Republican elephant labeled “G.O.P.” sitting on a seat next to a small child labeled “Taft” who is holding a toy dog labeled “Tariff Board.” Caption: “Madam, are you going to permit that child to keep his seat and let ME stand?”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1912-03-27

A depressed old man wearing formal clothing sits on the sidewalk on small railroad cars labeled “Street Railways.” In his pocket is a paper labeled “Expiring Franchises” and protruding from a bag another paper labeled “Leases.” A bundle at his feet is labeled “Boodle.” Mayor of Chicago, Edward F. Dunne, is standing in the background with a broom.

Comments and Context

This brilliant cartoon by Joseph Keppler Junior — in composition, simplicity, and humor the kind of work that enabled some readers to forget his cartoonist father — would be dispositive if published two years later. That is, the reform mayor of Chicago, Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne, is shown with the broom of reform and a crooked political boss sadly confronts his disenfranchisement from control of municipal utilities, fares, and contracts.

The flaw in the cartoon is not its delineation of issues, but its timing: Dunne was only sworn in as mayor of Chicago that very week. So Keppler’s cartoon was, he hoped, prophetic.

President Roosevelt has called in Charles Patrick Neill regarding the employers’ liability bill and tells Attorney General Bonaparte that Congress may have to recall the bill to avoid it being ruled unconstitutional. Roosevelt thought that suit was going to be brought regarding “the trolley line business,” as he thought it was a clear violation of the law.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-17

President Roosevelt thanks U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Asa P. French for the letter, and says that French is one of the people who helped him the whole time. Roosevelt asks French to write to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge about some of the details regarding trolley lines in Massachusetts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-04