“I guess I can keep right ahead”
Subject(s): Danger (Law), Free trade--Protection, Tariff, Trusts, Industrial
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A well-dressed, contented, obese capitalist labeled “Trusts,” wearing skates labeled “Protective Tariff,” skates near an area of thin ice labeled “Congress” and marked with a sign that says “Danger.” He seems to see no reason to be cautious.
Comments and Context
Through previous decades, cartoonists’ symbols for trusts and monopolies ranged from vultures to money-bags with faces to highwaymen. By 1903, partly through the popularization of an icon resembling an enormous, overweight, ostentatious boor as conceived by the former Puck cartoonist F. Opper, in New York Journal cartoons, the figure in Pughe’s cartoon is instantly recognizable. As the concept of his cartoon suggests, Congress, dominated by Republicans at this time, was beginning to be more favorable to regulating trusts.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-01-21
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
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:
“I guess I can keep right ahead”. [January 21, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277165. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. “I guess I can keep right ahead”. [21 Jan. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277165.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1903, January 21]. “I guess I can keep right ahead”.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277165.
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.
