That Diminishing Blot on the Elephant
- Title:
- That Diminishing Blot on the Elephant
- Alternate Title:
- That Diminishing Blot on the Elephant
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Zimmerman, Eugene ("Zim")
- Date:
- 1907
- Posted Date:
- 2017-04-14
- ID Number:
- 2282.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2282_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1900 - 1919
- Subject:
- Politics & Government
Pictorial - Measurement:
- 23 x 21 on sheet 34 x 25 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- In the Fall of 1907, William Jennings Bryan made it clear that he intended to seek the Democratic nomination for the third time in the 1908 Presidential election. Bryan had twice before led his party to defeat, and there was widespread concern among Democrats that his loss in 1908 might be devastating. See ID #2279.01, "The Map of Bryanism." This cartoon map from the Republican magazine Judge in December 1907 captures the moment. The U.S. is shown as the "Map of the Republican Elephant," with the great majority of the states in grey - labeled "The Republican U.S. . . . sign of prosperity and Republicanism" - and the southeastern "Democratic States" in black. The caption reads, "One or two more applications and we can get the good old animal perfectly clean!" The map is hung from a peg in the image of Theodore Roosevelt.
In the end, the concerns about Bryan were borne out: Taft won a crushing victory, 52-43 percent in the popular vote, with a margin in the Electoral College of nearly 2 to 1. And the map was very accurate: Bryan won only three "grey" states, the mining states of Colorado and Nevada, and his home state of Nebraska.
For other persuasive maps concerning Bryan's political career, Search > Bryan.
For further information on the Collector’s Notes and a Feedback/Contact Link, see https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/about-collection-personal-statement and https://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/content/feedback-and-contact - Source:
- Judge Magazine, December 14, 1907.
- Repository:
- Private Collection of PJ Mode
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.