"Ohio, the Mother of Presidents"

By 1912, 13 states had adopted the progressive idea of direct presidential primaries to break the control of party bosses on delegate selection for the national convention. Theodore Roosevelt domiated these state primaries. In this cartoon, which features Roosevelt and President William Howard Taft tugging on the arms of a personified "Ohio," Berryman depicts the climax of this preconvention battle, which took place in that state in late May. Berryman terms Ohio "The Mother of Presidents" not only because it was Taft's home state, but also because it sent a large quota of delegates to the national convention. In an intense and bitter contest, Roosevelt won a complete victory, winning the popular vote by a large margin and capturing nearly every district delegate.