Rubbish
Subject(s): Antitrust law, Barrels, Legislators, Refuse and refuse disposal--Law and legislation
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Legislators drop bills labeled “Bluff Legislation, The Original Trust Buster, Combination Crusher, [and] Anti-Trust Bill” into a barrel labeled “Receptacle for Anti-Trust Bills” before entering a building labeled “Congress.” They have chosen to hope for reform without having to take action. In the background, a trash-collector is dumping another barrel labeled “Receptacle for Anti-Trust Bills” into a cart.
Comments and Context
Cartoonist Ehrhart’s cynicism is seen not in the discarded bills and their grand-sounding titles, but the indifference with which the ostentatiously dressed lawmakers toss them away. The rich, by implication, were in league with monopolists and were insincere trust-busters. Things were changing in America; only a decade earlier, few politicians even pretended to be anti-monopolists.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-02-11
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
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:
Rubbish. [February 11, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277189. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937. Rubbish. [11 Feb. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277189.
APA:
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937., [1903, February 11]. Rubbish.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277189.
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 12, 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.
