Editorial cartoon depicting a congressman proposing that an import duty of a thousand percent be levied on Parisian furniture and works of art, using Ex-Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich as a punchline to talk about the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 that was strongly influenced by the Aldrich–Vreeland Act passed in response to the Knickerbocker Crisis of 1907.

This cartoon shows McCutcheon's interpretation of events occurring in Mexico in 1913. In 1911, Francisco Madero was elected as President of Mexico defeating Mexico's long time dictator, Porfirio Diaz. After a period of Civil War in Mexico, Madero gained full control of the country from Diaz, who eventually fled to France. Francisco Madero appointed one of Porfirio Diaz's generals, Victoriano Huerta, to his inner circle. Shortly after this appointment, Huerta seized power and killed Madero and his vice president, Pino Suarez. Huerta partnered with Felix Diaz, the brother of Porfirio Diaz, to successfully complete his coup. Huerta and Diaz are drawn laughing at the claim an investigation will be made into the deaths of Madero and Suarez. Huerta eventually sought to take complete control of Mexico and forced Felix Diaz from power soon after they overtook the government. Huerta's violent betrayal sparked international outrage, causing most countries to condemn Mexico's new government. The United States denounced Huerta's regime, and the United States government would later support the Mexican revolutionaries who would fight against Huerta. The cartoon also directs the viewer's attention to a conversation between Huerta and Sir Lionel Carden, Great Britain's diplomat to Mexico. The drawing shows Great Britain's support of Huerta and his regime despite his vicious actions against leaders in Mexico. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This top panel of this cartoon shows Benjamin Franklin walking outside in Paris, France. Benjamin Franklin held the title of Commissioner to France from 1776 to 1785, while he served as an ambassador to France during and after the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin is walking in a busy market place and passes an "epicere", which can be translated from French to mean a grocery. The bottom panel shows Woodrow Wilson passing through the streets of Paris in a parade. Woodrow Wilson traveled to Paris in 1919 after the fighting in WWI had ceased. Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference, which would eventually produce the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles is the treaty that formally concluded WWII. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon shows President Woodrow Wilson drafting his first States of the Union address to Congress. President Wilson was inaugurated on March 4, 1913, and he was the first president from the democratic party to be elected since Grover Cleveland left the office in 1897. President Wilson's desk with ideas he wishes to accomplish while in office. Woodrow Wilson was a leader in the Progressive movement, which proposed society could be improved through legislative reform. President Wilson took office shortly before the beginning of World War I on July 28, 1914. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon depicts three different scenes in separate panels. In the top panel, a business man is angry about workers' unions and wants them to be "smashed," but later, with the threat of a strike hovering over him, he signs his name on a wage increase form. Negotiation between workers and employers were becoming a more common occurrence in the 1910s. Unions and the notion of collective bargaining were beginning to be protected under the law. In the middle panel, a man's boss is happy to get more labor out of the man since prohibition. The man's family also claims to get more money out of him since prohibition, and the children show off their new shoes. This panel shows the desired result of prohibition, which was to eliminate the loss of prosperity and productivity associated with drunkenness.In the bottom panel, John Bull smiles while reading the English paper, which proclaims the growing labor party might control government at next election. Meanwhile, Uncle Sam reads an American paper, which proclaims the Farmer Labor Party has grown to contain three people. As Uncle Sam reads the paper, there is panic in the background. The Farmer Labor Party was a political party founded in 1920 from the larger, international workers' movement associated with communism. As Uncle Sam reads the paper, there is obvious panic in the background. This last panel shows the significant difference in culture between the United States and England. England, like many other European states, was learning to tolerate the labor parties, and it eventually adopted the new parties into their political landscape. The United States was hypersensitive to any hint of communism, due to fears of a workers' revolution. Unlike England, the United States constantly sought to limit the influence and growth of these labor parties as much as possible. This fear is seen by the Red Scare the United States experienced in the 1920s. The Red Scare spread mass fear of communism, and it sought to eliminate communism completely from American economics and culture. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon is an editorial depiction of the fear of war with Japan in later 1910. At the time, the army of Japan was growing, and they were seeking new technology and funding. This was combined with Japan seizing territory around it, such as parts of Korea. These military actions made relations between the United States and Japan more tense, even to the point where California was proposing legislation to limit the rights of Japanese citizens. The Chicago Tribune took a relatively relaxed approach to the situation, asserting relations between the United States and Japan were nowhere near a declaration of war. Journalists came to this conclusion, because the costs of war were too great for both sides. Ultimately, President Taft sought to avoid public fear by seeking to dismantle rumors of war by publicly announcing the United States intention of peace with Japan. This cartoon shows Taft crushing the personified Japanese war scare while on the phone saying "Hello, is that the coroner? Well, say, come up in about 10 minutes. I'll have a nice job for you." (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

Editorial cartoon depicting Charles Adkins, the speaker for the Illinois House of Representatives, commanding the demand for waterway legislation to stop.

This cartoon shows President Taft racing out of the White House with an ax for his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt. While President Taft was in office, Theodore Roosevelt continued to remain active in policy. This cartoon was published with article indicating former President Roosevelt sought to protect International Harvester Company, which was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. There had been a series of letter by Theodore Roosevelt published, which indicated Roosevelt was involved with encouraging the government to not pursue International Harvester Company. President Taft was leaving for Massachusetts to give a speech to denounce the actions of Theodore Roosevelt. President Taft also wished to remind the American people how much he had done to eliminate trusts to protect the American people. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon depicts an aged version of Katherine Elkins and Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of Abruzzi. Katherine Elkins was the daughter of Senator Stephen B. Elkins, an influential politician from West Virginia. The Duke of Abruzzi was Commander in Chief of the Italian fleet and fifth in line for the Italian throne. They met through a series of social events in the United States, and their courtship was covered by the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for over two years. The Duke of Abruzzi needed the permission from the King of Italy to marry. If the couple had married without royal permission, then Ms. Elkins would not have received a royal title or estates and The Duke of Abruzzi would have received reprimand from the crown. When this cartoon was drawn, the Duke and Ms. Elkins were rumored to be engaged, but still waiting for the King's blessing to wed. Eventually, the King would deny this request and the couple separated around 1912. Katherine Elkins went on to marry Billy Hitt, the son of an Illinois congressman. The Duke Abruzzi led the Italian navy through World War I, and he oversaw the Italian colony of Somalia. The Duke of Abruzzi married as well, and died in 1933. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon personifies United States relations with Japan in 1913. Japan is criticizing California for employing Japanese exclusion laws. These laws are most likely a reference to the California Alien Land Law of 1913. This law prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases, but permitted short-term leases lasting up to three years. This act was problematic for diplomatic relations with Japan, as it directly discriminated against Japanese citizens. This law also limited the number of Japanese immigrants to come to the US. While this law actually had little tangible backlash on Japanese citizens, it caused a large amount of tension between Japan and the US. Japan is also illustrated wielding the weapon of exclusion laws. In response to California's discrimination laws, Japan threatened to begin creating policies, which would discriminate against Americans. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)