In re Sampson vs. Morgan
Subject(s): Admirals, Allen, William V. (William Vincent), 1847-1924, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Sampson, William Thomas, 1840-1902, United States. Navy
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An oversized Abraham Lincoln, holding an ax, addresses a diminutive Rear Admiral William T. Sampson regarding the case of Gunner Charles Morgan’s efforts toward advancement in rank in the U.S. Navy. Caption: “Don’t you think, Sonny, that your ‘five o’clock tea’ rule might shut out some good men?”
Comments and Context
The background of this cartoon was a colorful clash, coming to a head on the floor of the United States Senate, when Senator William V. Allen of Nebraska upbraided Admiral William T. Sampson, who had recommended against the promotion of a Naval Gunner, Charles Morgan. Sampson granted that Morgan had technical and professional ability, but that warrant officers should not advance to ensign grades because they had not enjoyed social advantages perviously. He urged the Secretary of the Navy to deny such promotions. Senator Allen’s Senate speech, represented in the cartoon in milder terms by the figure of Abraham Lincoln, used terms of approbation like “snobbish aristocracy,” “disgrace,” “conceited ass,” “a class of bejeweled aristocrats,” and “arrant coward”… all directed at the Naval hero Sampson. The “tea” reference in the cartoon suggests that men in Sampson’s class were effete.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1901-03-27
Creator(s)
Period
Vice President of the United States (1901)
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:
In re Sampson vs. Morgan. [March 27, 1901]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275824. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. In re Sampson vs. Morgan. [27 Mar. 1901]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275824.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1901, March 27]. In re Sampson vs. Morgan.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275824.
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. February 26, 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.
