The same old game
Subject(s): Avarice, Edmunds, George F. (George Franklin), 1828-1919, Hanna, Marcus Alonzo, 1837-1904, Shipping, Trusts, Industrial, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna grabs Uncle Sam by the coat collar and gestures toward a building labeled “Ship Builders’ Trust.” Ex-Senator George F. Edmunds hides behind its door. Protruding from Hanna’s coat pocket are papers labeled “Hanna Payne Subsidy Bill,” formerly introduced by Senator George F. Edmunds.
comments and context
Comments and Context
Shipbuilding subsidies in the time-period of this cartoon bridged several controversial and shifting issues in American politics. In the aftermath of the Spanish-American War there were increasing demands to upgrade and increase the United States’ naval arsenal. Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent. There were serious debates in the Senate over whether it was more cost-effective and efficient to purchase warships from British or Norwegian shipbuilders. Patriotism and “protectionism” were parts of the debates. Protected monopolies (trusts) colored the motives of naval-expansionists. Marcus Hanna is depicted in this cartoon as a confidence man looking to swindle Uncle Sam. The presence of Edmunds provides a fuller background to the issues addressed. The Vermont Senator was a lion of the Senate stretching back to the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson (1868); and his reform record moved young Theodore Roosevelt to work for his Presidential nomination in the 1884 Republican convention. Edmunds retired in 1891 and became a lawyer and advocate of railroad and shipbuilding interests. Even as Puck Magazine’s interests favored a larger navy, the presence of monopolists in the debate was odious.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1900-02-07
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
Governor of New York (October 1898-1900)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The same old game. [February 7, 1900]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275373. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The same old game. [7 Feb. 1900]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 24, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275373.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1900, February 7]. The same old game.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275373.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 24, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
