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President Roosevelt stands on one side of a scaffold, holding a large sculpted arm with a huge stick labeled “The Big Stick” for placement on a large sculpture of a female figure labeled “Inter-State Commerce Laws.” On the other side of the scaffold is a man labeled “The Rail Road” directing Nelson W. Aldrich, Stephen B. Elkins, and Joseph Benson Foraker to use instead a much smaller arm labeled “Delay” and “Fines.” Caption: A difference of opinion as to what will fit the lady.
Comments and Context
J. S. Pughe’s cartoon is one of the cleverer uses of the Big Stick as an icon during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. The depiction of four men against his lone self is also a fair representation of the opposition Roosevelt faced.
There were mighty forces opposed to railroad rate legislation, and more than railroad interests: there were many trusts and related industries that profited from the railroads’ power to control rates and routes, to favor or destroy small competitors. In fact some members of House of Representatives advocated more extreme measures than the president thought just (or, more, practical to get through Congress). Of course the senatorial Old Guard, here represented by Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island, Joseph Benson Foraker of Ohio — virtually a constant thorn in Roosevelt’s side — and Stephen B. Elkins of West Virginia; all them under the watchful eye of their boss, a railroad magnate. They easily handle a small statue’s arm, with harmless balloons inn its hands.
The President, despite actually having insurgents in the House and Senate on his side, is shown alone, struggling with a giant arm and a larger Big Stick for which Roosevelt was famous.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-04-25
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
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:
Arms and the men. [April 25, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278531. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. Arms and the men. [25 Apr. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278531.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1906, April 25]. Arms and the men.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278531.
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 13, 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.
