United States. Congress

President Roosevelt hands “Congress” three balls and points at the toys labeled “corrupt politics,” “island possessions,” “labor questions,” “waterways,” “legislative obstructions,” “disease microbes,” “national waste,” “swollen fortunes,” “dishonest wealth,” “unjust judges,” “inadequate wages,” and “inheritance tax.”

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After a day to absorb President Roosevelt’s Annual Message, which would be the last of his presidency, Jay N. “Ding” Darling offered his readers, and posterity, a cartoon-capsule summary of its contents. Typical of the cartoonist’s clarity, the main topics of the president’s lengthy message are depicted, and — an important component of the cartoon — it is not Uncle Sam, nor an iconic figure representing “the public,” who is addressed by the barker Roosevelt, but the Congress.

President Roosevelt holds a “Secret Service” pistol in his pocket. A “congressman” asks Uncle Sam dressed in a police uniform, “Disarm him! I think he is going to use that gun on me!”

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One of America’s greatest cartoonists of his day or any other was T. S. Sullivant. He drew magazine gags, mostly for Judge and Life magazines, between the mid-1890s and the mid-1920s, except for the period approximately between 1905 and 1910, when he was engaged to draw political cartoons for William Randolph Hearst’s New York American, and unfortunately many of these are lost, as few copies of Hearst’s daily newspapers were preserved.

The “Senate” holds President Roosevelt, who has the label of “Teddy the boy detective,” in one hand and a “resolutions” paddle in the other. The “House” follows behind them with a “Golden Rule” paddle.

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J. H. Donahey’s cartoon of Congress taking a naughty President Roosevelt “to the woodshed” (for an old-fashioned thrashing) represents a controversy that seriously marred the last months of the Roosevelt Administration, despite being largely forgotten today.

President Roosevelt mixes a bowl labeled “message” with several ingredients–“ammonia,” “castor oil,” “ipecac,” “quinine,” and “sulphur”–on the counter beside the bowl. A sick “Congress” sits in the other room. On the wall is a sign: “Prescriptions Strenuously Compounded.”

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President Roosevelt’s last Annual Message has been delivered as a document to Congress only the day previous to this drawing’s appearance. Congress, the press, and the public scarcely had time to digest its contents and many recommendations. But nobody doubted that it would take Congress to task for its inaction or sluggish responses to issues Roosevelt previously addressed.

“Congress” steps on “that message” and holds a “resentment of Secret Service clause” and thrusts a fist a President Roosevelt, who has a “How to Hunt in Africa” book beside him. In the background, Emperor William II laughs.

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A forgotten kerfuffle of President Roosevelt’s last months in office was an incident that attracted great, if brief, public interest. It was a matter that was not destined to be controversial, which might be said of some dust-ups that attended the personality who was Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt sits at his desk with his “big stick” and “my policies” book. A man labeled “resolutions committee” attempts to sneak up on him as a woman labeled “Congress” watches. The man says, “You’ll injure her dignity, will you?” The woman says, “Be careful. He may be watching you.” On the ground is the “President’s message.”

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As the slim mailing sticker (“Executive Mansion”) on the front-page clipping from the Detroit Free Press suggests, this clipping in the White House scrapbook must have pleased President Roosevelt. He is caricatured as a bit scruffy, not as a Chief Executive at his desk, but the figures representing Congress and a special committee thereof are shown less flatteringly.

“Congress” sits on the ground holding his hand to his head. Next to him is a paper: “President’s message on Secret Service.” President Roosevelt looks on and says, “Quite a bump, apparently.”

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The inspiration for this cartoon was a brief passage in the last Annual Message of President Roosevelt’s presidency, addressing his appeal for an expansion in the duties of the Secret Service, an authorization that required Congressional approval. Congress had previously rebuffed the president’s proposals, and the frustrated Roosevelt gratuitously suggested in the message that some Congressmen might have had things to hide from investigators.

A “Congress” dog grabs onto President Roosevelt’s coat and utters: “G-r-r-r–Secret–Service–Row–G-r-r.” Roosevelt attempts to hit the dog with a “message” big stick.

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A dispute largely forgotten today captured headlines — and the attention of many political cartoonists — in the last months of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. It revolved around a brief passage in the Annual Message fewer than two weeks before this cartoon was published, and the gratuitous disparagement of Congress in which Roosevelt couched the reference. He sought, after previous rebuffs, Congressional authorization of an expanded role for the Secret Service. The frustrated president undiplomatically wondered whether Congressmen feared investigation into members’ affairs.

President Roosevelt reads a sign that several school boys show him: “Resolved that we are too big to be spanked. It injures our dignity and besides people might begin to think we needed it.” Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon holds the sign, and a number of Representatives and Senators are behind him. Caption: A revolt in the district school.

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Researchers reading President Roosevelt’s last Annual Message, from early December 1908, and be startled by a short passage in the midst of many claims of policy achievements, and a host of prescriptions for the coming months and years. There was a brief please for Congressional approval to expand the functions, and the funding, of the Secret Service. The nation, the government, and concomitant challenges of investigation and law enforcement had all increased in the century’s first decade.

President Roosevelt plays the “Brownsville Overture” on the “my policies” grand piano as he says, “Turn on the spotlight!” “Congress” holds up flowers while Uncle Sam plugs his ears. On the ground are several other pieces of music–“Panama Canal Polonaise,” “Secret Service Two-Step,” and “Annual Waltz.” A sign reads, “T. R. the Marvelous.”

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Very few observers likely believed that Theodore Roosevelt would disappear from the national stage — except for a year in “Darkest Africa” — after his retirement as president, set for approximately ten weeks after this cartoon’s publication. And it was not in Roosevelt’s personality to “just fade away.”

President Roosevelt holds his big stick in one hand and gestures at the “Constitution of the United States,” which sits on a ledge labeled “Congress.” Caption: “Take away that bauble!”–Oliver Cromwell.

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Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World was widely acknowledged as the leading Democratic organ in the country, and while other papers hewed the party line, with influence, Pulitzer’s paper was the semi-official voice of the party. As such, any cartoon during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt would be expected to be hyper-partisan and hyper-critical.

Indeed, C. R. Macauley, the paper’s recent chief political cartoonist, earned his spurs with cartoons such as this. In four years, in fact, he would be employed by the Democratic National Committee to be its official cartoonist (a practice then not uncommon).

On the left side, President Roosevelt holds a “message” firearm that shoots projectiles at “The Capitol.” Caption: The president’s message was loaded after all. On the right sign are two different vignettes: a scene of men looking at papers with the caption of “scene in Senate after hearing of the Secret Service paragraph” and a drawing of Vice President-elect J. S. Sherman. At the bottom, Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon bangs two gavels at different times and damages them. Caption: Speaker Cannon smashed gavels in rapid succession.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-16

President Roosevelt fires his “no. 2 for birds” shotgun at a “Panama lyre-bird” (Joseph Pulitzer) in the African wilderness. Meanwhile, a “Congress” lion and “Foraker & Brownsville” hippopotamus stay in the background. Roosevelt is surrounded by his big stick–“for fighting at close quarters”–a typewriter, a notebook, a wireless box, a camera, a “no. 6 for lions etc.” gun, a toothbrush, and a book entitled “Wild Animals and Their Habits.”

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This cartoon represents a fair summary of Theodore Roosevelt’s last months in office. He was wildly popular throughout the country, and by common consensus he could have been renominated by the Republican Party if he had not renounced interest on election night of 1904. And even as some Democrats urged him to run again, and recognized that their platforms and Roosevelt’s policies were consanguine, he could have been confident of reelection.

President Roosevelt rolls up his sleeves and holds his big stick in his right hand. There are papers on the ground: “Secret Service report,” “Evidence of crooked politics against certain members of Congress,” and “Damagin evidence against congressmen.” Two men–the “House” and the “Senate”–watch from the side, saying “You tackle ‘im” and “No. You.” Caption: Roosevelt: “By George, I wish they’d just start something!”

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The inspiration for this political cartoon by Jay N. “Ding” Darling was a brief but explosive passage in Theodore Roosevelt’s Annual Message the previous week. The president addressed (and not for the first time, which surely fueled his frustrated intemperance) what he deemed an essential expansion of the scope, powers, and budgets of the Secret Service. The short argument was accompanied by sarcastic curiosity — was Congress afraid that a new investigative agency would discover things about them?

Two men–the “House” and the “Senate”–read “Roosevelt’s Panama Message” that has “liar” written all over it and laugh, saying, “I can hear Joe Pulitzer laffin now!” In the background, “haw-haw!” can be seen coming from the New York World building. President Roosevelt cries and says, “They think I’m a joke!!”

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If one studies the cartoon scrapbooks assembled for President Roosevelt during his administration, it reveals a rough equivalency of drawings that are favorable and unfavorable to the president. If one studies the actual range of newspapers and magazines during this era — that is, including cartoonists who were not represented in the scrapbooks — it indicates that most newspapers, as with the majority of citizens, were Roosevelt partisans.

The “60th Congress” holds a paddle with nails and taps President Roosevelt on the shoulder. Roosevelt’s handprints are over himself and the ground. Beside Roosevelt is a container of “Secret Service jam.” Congress tells Roosevelt, “Explain yourself, sir!!”

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The controversy — rather an ugly dispute — between President Roosevelt and the Congress of the United States was fodder for political cartoonists. The simple disagreement over whether the nation needed, and Congress would authorize, a new federal investigatory agency, was the genesis. Like Poppy, it just grew: the president thought it a simple and reasonable matter; Congress rebuffed his requests. Roosevelt lobbied strenuously and went public with his reasons; Congress ever more dismissed Roosevelt’s many requests and messages as his administration drew to a close.

President Roosevelt cleans Joseph Pulitzer in a “reform” washtub. Around Roosevelt is a basket of “more rascals.” There is also a globe, “Congressional rascals,” Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker, and three newspapers–“N. Y. World,” “Indianapolis News,” and “disreputable journalism.” In the back are men hanging on the clothesline: Edward Henry Harriman, “trusts,” “Post Office rascal,” “lumber rascal,” “coal rascal,” and “political rascal.”

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As habitual opponents of President Roosevelt among political cartooning’s ranks drew summations of the controversies, enemies, and issues of the administration during its last weeks, so did supporters. Their cartoons similarly provide future researchers with virtual checklists of the disputes and rivalries that often underpinned the notable news headlines.

In the first section of the cartoon, President Roosevelt throws a “message” snowball that hits “Congress” in the back of the head. In the second section, “Congress” runs with a “rebuke” umbrella raised and says, “I’ll fix that boy,” as Roosevelt hides behind the wall with a huge snowball. In the third section, Roosevelt throws the huge “exposures” snowball at “Congress,” who has dropped his umbrella.

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This Nelson Harding occasionally has been reprinted in articles and history texts, and therefore is familiar as a comment on the sometimes contentious relationship between President Roosevelt and the Congress. The precise inspiration seldom is received notice.

In the first section of the cartoon, “Congress” holds a paddle in his right hand and President Roosevelt’s hand in his left as they walk to the woodshed. In the second section, various screams come out of the woodshed: “Held!” O-o-o-h!” “Wha-a-a-ack!” “Bang!” “Ouch!” “Stop!” “Please don’t!” “Wow!” and “Never again!” In the third section, Roosevelt holds the paddle and has a grin on his face as “Congress” runs away, full of bruises.

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“Being taken to the woodshed” is perhaps a forgotten, or anyway, archaic, term for receiving punishment. The date of Elridge W. Jamieson’s comical but prescient treatment of a dispute between the White House and Congress indicates that the Secret Service controversy inspired the cartoon.

“Congress” uses a “resolutions” hatchet to attempt to cut into “the president’s message” tree stump. Hiding in the stump is a bear in the shape of President Roosevelt.

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Perry James Carter was a political cartoonist who was known and beloved in the upper Midwest in his, and evidently was content to stay put, in the manner of the great Billy Ireland ( Columbus Dispatch) who said that his ambition was not to break into the New York market but continue to be accepted in Chillicothe (Ohio). Albert Shaw, who wrote cartoon histories of Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, said Carter’s work was “of higher average merit than those of any other cartoonist at home or abroad.”