Like a Chinese play, it goes on forever
Subject(s): Aldrich, Nelson W. (Nelson Wilmarth), 1841-1915, Amateur plays, Chinese, American Protective Tariff League, Avarice, Cannon, Joseph Gurney, 1836-1926, Congressional leadership, Consumers, Corruption, Dalzell, James McCormick, 1838-1924, Dragons, Free trade--Government policy, Legislators, Payne, Sereno Elisha, 1843-1914, Sherman, J. S. (James Schoolcraft), 1855-1912, Tariff, Trusts, Industrial
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A Chinese play is being acted on a small stage with Joseph Gurney Cannon and Nelson W. Aldrich offering two small doll-like figures labeled “Small Dealer” and “Consumer” to a dragon labeled “High Protection” manned by two men labeled “Special Privilege” and “Graft.” J. S. Sherman, John Dalzell, and Sereno E. Payne play musical instruments on the left side of the stage. On the back of the stage is a Buddha icon labeled “Greed.” In the foreground, at the foot of the stage, are Chinese men labeled “Lumber Trust, Paper Trust, Steel Trust, [and] Beef Trust.” On the far right, beneath a sign that states “Box Reserved for Amer. Protective Tariff League,” is a Chinese man labeled “Chas A. Moore” holding a tray with two small figures labeled “First Voter.”
Comments and Context
“Like a Chinese Play, It Goes On Forever” is an abecedarian and awkward variation on “trusts bad, politicians subservient, consumers powerless” themes. Cartoonist Frank A. Nankivell, who had lived part of career in Japan, had a difficult job in approximating Asian pictograph lettering, and he relied on stereotypes of culture and attire for the cartoon.
Infrequently caricatured through the years, or mentioned in histories, is the “power behind the throne” figure on the right, Charles A. Moore. A member of the Ohio Society and president of the American Protective Tariff League, Moore was an early advocate of William McKinley’s career and worked largely behind the scenes to advance McKinley’s career as congressman, governor, and president; and Moore was a vital associate of McKinley amanuensis Mark Hanna.
Under Moore’s direction the American Protective Tariff League and its publication American Economist provided the philosophical and statistical underpinnings for high-tariff arguments and debates for a generation.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1909-03-10
Creator(s)
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959
Period
African Safari (March 1909-1910)
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:
Like a Chinese play, it goes on forever. [March 10, 1909]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291119. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959. Like a Chinese play, it goes on forever. [10 Mar. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291119.
APA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959., [1909, March 10]. Like a Chinese play, it goes on forever.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291119.
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. March 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.
