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 The Economy

 


 “Take Off the Handicap If You Want the G.O.P. to Win!”
  Cartoonist:  Grant Hamilton
  Source:  Judge
  Date:  May 16, 1908

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
Even the Republican humor magazine, Judge, bemoaned the state of the economy in the spring of 1908. This double-page cartoon warns that the Republican Party must remove the weighted shackles of a treasury deficit and business depression if it hopes to win the presidential race against William Jennings Bryan, the eventual Democratic nominee, who sits astride the Democratic Donkey in the background. While the Republican Elephant cries, Uncle Sam (right) looks concerned. Potential Republican Party candidates are (left-right): Senator Joseph Foraker of Ohio, President Theodore Roosevelt, Vice President Charles Fairbanks, Secretary of War William Howard Taft (the eventual nominee), and Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon. When this cartoon was published, the economy had already begun to recover, which became fully evident by summer, removing it as an effective issue for Democrats in the fall campaign.

 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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