Teddy Roosevelt often sided with labor unions and the people of America, but tried his best to avoid any direct conflicts with business owners. But in the spring of 1906, Roosevelt was forced to face the striking coal miners and their obstinate bosses. The workers refused to work unless there was a 20% increase in wages and a 8 hr workday. Mine owners refused to meet these demands and due to the lack of miners, America was faced with a critical coal shortage that forced schools and hospitals to close during the winter. Because of this, Teddy Roosevelt threatened business owners that if they were to not meet these demands and keep the mines closed, that the government would take over these mines. In the above political cartoon, TR is seen lassoing a piece of coal titled "threatened coal strike" out of the houses that are labeled "consumers" which means that TR basically saved consumers.
One of Teddy Roosevelt's goals in office was to take down big business and unfair business practices. He pushed through the Elkins Act and Hepburn Acts attacking the practices of giving out rebates and free passes by railroad companies. Because of this, many railroads had to completely change their way of business. In the political cartoon above, a fat rich railroad robber barron is seen running away from TR who was lifting weights, displaying his large muscles. This is meant to show TR's immense power over the railroad industry.
Teddy Roosevelt set to conserve American's virgin forests. He passed the Desert Land Act, Forest Reserve Act, and Newfoundlands Act. Roosevelt was known to be a conservationist except in the case of Hetchy Hetch Valley where his personal pragmatism overruled conservationalism. In the above picture, Roosevelt is seen sitting casually on one of the rocks of Yosemite over looking a canyon which showed him as a man of nature, a man of prowess, and a naturalist.