The cartoon âThe President´s Dream of a Successful Huntâ of 1907 by Clifford Berryman depicts Theodore Roosevelt´s view about how he would stop the âbad trustsâ, and only keep the âgood trustsâ by means of a political restraint. The cartoon shows this conception by showing a hunted bear with the mark of bad trusts, and a bear with the mark of good trusts being held by Roosevelt with a belt representing the restraint.
The cartoon is supportive of Roosevelt´s efforts since it shows an aggressive way of cleaning the country of what he considered bad trusts, whose business practices were bad for the public interest, and only keeping the good ones. The president promoted this cleanse by proposing the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, which basically provided him the with the ultimate decision to dismantle a monopoly or not. Such case of a good trust that was left alone was the American Sugar Refining Company, and a case of bad trust that was demolish was the Northern Securities Company. Â
The bear labeled as âgood trustsâ shows a frightened mood that represents the feeling that the, not so corrupt, monopolies should have felt facing such steady and firm law of the president. This frightened bear contrasts with the bear on the right, which is not worried about the antitrust act since its being left alone and not hunted. This bear represents an honest, and benefic corporation for the country. Â Â
