A great past and a pitiful present
Subject(s): American Civil War (1861-1865), Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893, Farragut, David Glasgow, 1801-1870, Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885, Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826-1904, Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870, Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Logan, John Alexander, 1826-1886, Mahone, William, 1826-1895, Political corruption, Public officers, Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912, Robeson, George M. (George Maxwell), 1829-1897, Sectionalism (United States), Sherman, John, 1823-1900, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character), Wetlands
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Whitelaw Reid, John Sherman, George F. Hoar, and John Logan lift Uncle Sam above a swamp filled with several faces of corruption labeled “Blainism, Robesonism, Mahone Repudiation, Land Grab, Whiskey Ring, Rotten Ships, Pension Swindle, Fraud 1876, Star Routers, Salary Grab, Army Ring, [and] Sectional Issue.” Reid gestures toward a statue in the upper left that shows General Robert E. Lee surrendering to General Ulysses S. Grant and Admiral David G. Farragut at the base of a statue showing Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and a slave freed from bondage. Caption: Uncle Sam – “It’s no use lifting me up to look at your monumental record, gentlemen; what can you give me to stand on now!”
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1885-10-28
Creator(s)
Period
Dakota Rancher (June 1884-1886)
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:
A great past and a pitiful present. [October 28, 1885]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287767. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896. A great past and a pitiful present. [28 Oct. 1885]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287767.
APA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896., [1885, October 28]. A great past and a pitiful present.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287767.
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 5, 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.
