Unionism or the National Guard?

A laborer stands at center holding a rifle labeled “Law and Order” and a National Guard uniform labeled “Patriotism” which he is offering to Uncle Sam who is standing on the left with his hands behind his back. Standing on the right, behind the laborer, is a man labeled “Labor Agitator,” holding a whip that spells out the word “Expulsion.” He makes it clear to the laborer that he must choose between the union and service to the government, arguments raised as leverage in labor’s attempts to negotiate with the Department of the Army. Caption: The Labor Agitator — Give dem soldier clothes up! Yer can’t serve me and him, too!

comments and context

Comments and Context

From its inception until the 1903 Efficiency in the Militia Act of 1903 (the reference-point of Ehrhart’s cartoon), the United States had had an ambiguous policy regarding state militias and the United States Army. Governors could choose to meld their state militias with the Army, or not, in random fashion, perhaps depending on local opinion and politics. New England governors who opposed the War of 1812, for instance, refused to send troops to assist the Army. This is the reason that Theodore Roosevelt assembled the Rough Riders, the First New York Volunteer Regiment; in times of need, Washington authorized volunteer regiments of limited duration, across the country. The 1903 act, also called the Dick Act after its sponsor Representative Charles Dick (R-Oh), and heavily pushed by Secretary of War Elihu Root, enabled the creation of National Guard units in every state, outlined their duties and restrictions (until a 1908 amendment, they could not be deployed overseas), and guaranteed funding by a schedule. This act also enabled the creation, and mandated funding, of training camps like Plattsburgh before America’s declaration of war in 1917. The immediate point of this cartoon is the short-lived attempts of union organizers to have their members retain union rights and contract provisions while serving in Guard units; or that union members be exempt from serving in Guard deployments. Such efforts were unsuccessful.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1903-01-28

Creator(s)

Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937

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

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation