Their best friend
Subject(s): Arbitration, Industrial, Employees, Law enforcement, Strikes and lockouts, Violence
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A female figure labeled “Arbitration” stands between a soldier labeled “Law & Order” and a laborer labeled “Strike” who is holding a bomb and about to throw a brick, with the words “Riot” and “Arson” appearing in the smoke billowing from a fire behind him.
Comments and Context
This cartoon reflected the growing incidents of labor strife, some of them violent, as organized labor attempted to assert itself as a bargaining force in the American economy. Specifically the cartoon foreshadows a major confrontation that occurred later in the year, known as the U. S. Steel Recognition Strike. As J. P. Morgan consolidated his steel and tin holdings under the new trust, the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers (The AA) feared that their bargaining positions would be diminished or denied (as it turns, out, they were, by secret vote of the U. S. Steel board). The AA had tenuous agreements with one of the few surviving independent steel makers, Sheet Steel, but lost ground as it suffered from competition by Morgan. In 1903 it was swallowed by U. S. Steel, and Morgan’s corporation asserted itself as a closed shop that did not allow union organization.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1901-06-12
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:
Their best friend. [June 12, 1901]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275850. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. Their best friend. [12 Jun. 1901]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. August 3, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275850.
APA:
Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1901, June 12]. Their best friend.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o275850.
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. August 3, 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.
