From the 1925 collection, Cartoons from Life, by Ellison Hoover, we have a view of “Our Next Congress”.

Which, actually, looks more like our current and several past Congresses to me.

Click on the above cartoon, to view it in greater detail.

Congress has perennially been the target of cartoonists, depicting them as inept, combative, and/or corrupt. Click here for a few other examples.

Doug Wheeler

NYLife CongressCartoons

WARNING: The below 19th century cartoon includes racist slurs.

We open this year’s coverage of African American History Month, with the above cartoon broadsheet, published by G.W. Bromley & Co., on July 1st, 1864. It is part of a series of anti-Lincoln / anti-Abolition cartoons, published by Bromley, on how the abolition of slavery, would lead to (among other things) that horror to whites of the time — interracial marriage! Pictured in the cartoon are Republican abolitionists President Abraham Lincoln, Senator Charles Sumner, and editor Horace Greeley.

Click on the above picture, to view the broadsheet in detail, and be able read its word balloons & captions.

Doug Wheeler

BlackHistory

Amongst the many positions which newly elected President Woodrow Wilson had to pick, was Secretary of State. Wilson, elected in November 1912, would not assume the Presidency until March 1913, and so had plenty of time to make his decisions — and took his time in announcing them. William Jennings Bryan, who had been the Democrats’ Presidential nominee (and loser) multiple times, arguably could have been the nominee again in 1912, but instead threw his support to Wilson, including going out on the campaign trail on Wilson’s behalf.

Now that the time for Wilson to dole out jobs was coming, Bryan made it very clear that he would like to become Wilson’s Secretary of State (which he did). The long interval between Wilson’s election and inauguration, however, gave the cartoonists plenty of time to poke fun at Bryan’s (second choice) dream job.

Above, from the December 1912 edition of Cartoons Magazine, we have William Kemp Starrett‘s cartoon on the subject. Below, from January 1913, cartoonist Billy Ireland depicts Wilson, remembering what Bryan had done for him, at the Baltimore Democratic Convention.

Click on the below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Above, John T. McCutcheon shows Bryan and William Randolph Hearst fighting to get in the front door of the White House first, while Oscar Cesare and Matthew Caine depict Bryan as still having an eye on being President.

Beneath, Ernest E. Burtt, Charles Lewis Bartholomew (“Bart”), and Hager depict pro and anti Bryan factions in Congress, and Bryan making sure he’s first in line for a Cabinet position.

The pages immediately above & below, are both from Cartoons Magazine‘s January 1913 issue.

More from January 1913, above & below. Above, cartoonists Ole May and John Scott Clubb, imagining that if Bryan became Secretary of State, then Wall Street Monopolists would no longer get to dictate U.S. foreign policy (as they had — it is implied — under Taft).

Below, more cartoons on Bryan, waiting for & fighting for, that Secretary of State position, by O’Loughlin, Craiger, and Herbert H. Perry.

Above, from December 1912, Harry J. Westerman urging Wilson to not forget about Bryan when choosing his Cabinet.

And finally, from April 1913 below, cartoons by James North, Hager (again), and Boardman Robinson.

Doug Wheeler

W.A. Ireland

The first thing to understand about Woodrow Wilson‘s first inaugural, is that in his time, a President-Elect did not take office until March! Above, we have cartoons by Harry Murphy and Fontaine Fox — from the January 1913 edition of Cartoons Magazine — making fun of the idea of moving the Inauguration Date earlier, into the dead of Winter!

Click on the below pages to enlarge their cartoons, and be able to read their captions.

Beneath, Wilson apparently wasn’t much of a dancer, and rather than embarass himself, he cancelled all the Inaugural Balls (or at least, that is the reason indicated by the cartoonists below). The resulting disappointment by those who had hoped to hobnob with the new President, and enjoy some gala affairs, is shown by James H. Donahey, Paul A. Plaschke, Gaar Williams, Fontaine Fox, Ernest E. Burtt, and Herbert H. Perry. These two pages are from the March 1913 issue.

Above (from Cartoons Magazine’s December 1912 issue), artist John T. McCutcheon makes fun of the hubbub of activity in Washington, D.C., surrounding Inauguration Day.

Beneath, from April 1913, Perry again, and Clifford K. Berryman, depict various local outside-Washington means of enjoying the Parade.

Beneath — from April 1913 — Thomas and Daniel Fitzpatrick depict various get-rich-quick schemes by D.C. locals, for soaking those visiting in town to attend the Inauguration.

Above, from February 1913 (before the Inauguration actually took place), a cartoon by Charles Lewis Bartholomew (“Bart”), depicting Wilson’s plan to walk, rather than ride, the Parade route. (Wilson didn’t.)

We close with the beneath December 1912 cartoon by Vie Lambdin, on what will Wilson’s years bring?

Doug Wheeler

— Doug

Above, with President-Elect Wilson about to be inaugurated (in March 1913, when inaugurations were scheduled later), cartoonists Oscar Cesare, Harold Heaton, James H. Donahey, William Kemp Starrett, Hunter, Matthew Caine, and Charles Bowers, say farewell to President William Howard Taft. From the April 1913 edition of Cartoons Magazine.

Click on the above pages, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Doug Wheeler

In this week’s news, we’ve been hearing about President Obama’s nominations for changes in Cabinet members for his second term.

Meanwhile (late 1912/early 1913), President-Elect Wilson had the slightly different job of making his initial Cabinet choices (and at this date, had plenty of time yet — his Inauguration wasn’t until March).

Above, Woodrow Wilson coming up empty, by Ole May, from the February 1913 issue of Cartoons Magazine. Beneath, from December 1912, cartoons by Herbert H. Perry and others.

Doug Wheeler

Woodrow Wilson

From the December 1912 issue of Cartoons Magazine, we comes a small helping of Christmas cartoons.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Above, by Frank Michael Spangler and H.T. Webster. Below, by George W. French.

Above, William Kemp Starrett; below, O’Loughlin.

Doug Wheeler

Christmas Comics Waifs

Finally, finally, we’ve reached the Closing Out, of the Closing Out, of the 1912 Election! (It’s only taken me, like, a hundred years.) As a reprinter of the prior months’ editorial cartoons, Cartoons Magazine‘s November Election follow-up, naturally appeared in its December (mostly) & January (some) issues. In this post, the page is from the December issue, unless I specify it appeared in the January 1913 issue.

Above, After the Votes Were Counted, by artist A.D. Condo (creator of The Outbursts of Everett True), depicting a despondent President William Howard Taft, and a collapsed G.O.P., at their third place finish. (I have no idea what or who “C.P.” stands for.)

Click on the above & below pages, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Below, Cartoons Magazine‘s commentary on how cartoonists covered the election. The December 1912 issue was the first to feature such a long prose piece, and there are several more in this issue, about or by cartoonists (we’ll show those in a later posting). Starting with this issue, prose articles became a regular element in the magazine.

Above, cartoonist Billy Ireland on the “Stand Pat”, no compromise attitude that Republicans took into the 1912 Election (inset cartoon, from pre-Election). And, the result of their taking such positions.

(Does the above in anyway sound familiar??…)

Below, additional election aftermath for the G.O.P., by John Scott Clubb and Ole May.

Above (jokingly), Robert La Follete “To the Rescue”, pictured by Gaar Williams.

Beneath, John DeMar on Woodrow Wilson‘s election (left), and, James H. Donahey, on the Republican Party looking for the return to their fold, of Teddy Roosevelt.

Another type of election loser, above, by Fontaine Fox, Hruska, and Burt Thomas.

Beneath, from the January 1913 issue, Bull Moose/Progressive Party financier George Perkins, shown the door, now that the Party has lost. Cartoons by Robert Carter, Gaar Williams, and Charles “Doc” Winner.

Above, “If we Had an Ex-Presidents Club”, by Donahey, Clubb, and Fox, featuring Taft & T.R.

Below, by William Charles Morris, from the January 1913 issue, university professor Woodrow Wilson, puts on a President’s Hat, while outgoing President Taft, tries on a Professor’s hat.

Above, Teddy Roosevelt’s Son-in-Law, Nicholas Longworth, pictured post-election by artist Oscar Cesare. Longworth had been a sitting Republican Congressman from Ohio, when his more famous father-in-law split the G.O.P. in two. Longworth stuck with the Republicans, which didn’t go down well with T.R.; plus he lost his seat in Congress (but would regain it in the next election).

Beneath (from January 1913, by Charles “Doc” Winner), one term President William Howard Taft, preparing to make his final address to Congress.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics W.A. Ireland

As we continue our post-election close-out, we look at the 1916 book, The “I Did It” Club. By artist Clifford K. Berryman — who was Republican — The “I Did It” Club was published by the Gridiron Club of Washington. D.C., for it’s post-Election dinner, and offers a basically Republican-slant on why Democratic President Woodrow Wilson won re-election in 1916, by caricaturing persons who “helped Wilson win”.

(NOTE: Berryman was at some point President of the Grid-Iron Club — though whether he was President of the club when this item was published, I do not know — none of the many sources mentioning this honor that I’ve found, bother to say in what year(s) Berryman held that position.)

Above, a horde of job-seekers, all claiming that they had helped re-elect the President.

Below: apparently certain offered excuses for losing are eternal… This Berryman cartoon suggests that Wilson was re-elected because of cash giveaways (or, “gifts”). In this case, to farmers. (As opposed to “gifts”, say, to Wall Street, or, wealthy donors, or, industrial polluters, or, the military industrial complex, or…). I guess whether something is labeled a “gift” or a “policy” — in politics — depends on which party your sympathies are with.

Above, Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War, urging Mexican Revolutionary Leader Pancho Villa and Mexican President Venustiano Carranza, to make nice until after the Presidential Election… (as if they would do that). So, as we see from the past, it matters not whether international incident occurs, or doesn’t — either way, the losers will claim the incident (or lack thereof) to be an election conspiracy… (In March 1916, President Wilson sent 10,000 U.S. troops into Mexico, intervening in the Mexican Revolution, after Pancho Villa crossed the border and raided U.S. Army barracks. U.S. Troops were still in Mexico during the election, fighting occasional skirmishes with Villa — I guess Wilson’s opponents were hoping something bad enough would happen to turn the 1916 election in their favor…)

Beneath, Senators Thomas J. Walsh of Montana, and Willard J. Saulsbury of Delaware.

Above, George Brinton McClellan Harvey — a former friend of Wilson, turned political enemy, who claimed in the month before the 1916 Election, that Wilson would be overwhelmingly defeated; and then after the election, pointed a decade back to statements he’d made when was friends with Woodrow Wilson, to claim he knew all along…

Beneath, another sour grapes Republican claim of “gift giving”…

Above, William Jennings Bryan, claiming to have helped Wilson win because of the speeches he made for him. And, Bryan may well have helped, just as Bill Clinton very obviously helped President Obama win re-election. Gee, I wonder why Republicans didn’t bring out their last President to make speeches, and “help” Mitt Romney… ???

Below, Utah — which had been one of the few states to vote for G.O.P candidate Taft in 1912 — went Democratic in 1916.

Above, John M. Parker, who was the Bull Moose Party‘s vice-Presidential candidate for 1916. Teddy Roosevelt (peeking out from behind the tree, and muttering “Traitor!”) had by 1916 left the Party he’d founded, and returned to the Republican Party. Without T.R., the Progressive Party faded to just another third party. Given the facts, I find the above Berryman cartoon, confusing.

Beneath, James Middleton Cox, Democratic Governor of Ohio.

Above, Rhode Island Senator (Democrat) Peter Goelet Gerry. Why he’s depicted in Native garb, I have no idea.

Below, T.R.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics

Above, the centerspread cartoon from the November 26th, 1884 issue of Puck magazine, by artist Bernhard Gillam. Titled, Thanksgiving Day, 1884 — “Let Us Be Thankful!”, referring to the nation being thankful that former Speaker of the House, James G. Blaine, had failed in his bid for the Presidency.

We can also be thankful, that poly-faced liar Mitt Romney failed in his bid for the White House. His comments this week past — delivered to an audience of his rich donors, once again recorded without his knowledge — reiterated & reinforced his earlier “47%” diatribe. Romney’s remarks this time, in my opinion, are racist and sexist as well, and take his initial perverse analysis of America, even further. It makes crystal clear, to even those who denied he meant what he said when was recorded the first time, that he views most Americans as a worker chattel slave class, who, by asking for a second bowl of gruel, are stealing from the plutocratic elite that by right should own everything.

Click on the above cartoon, to view it in far greater detail, and to be able to read its captions.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics James Blaine