Aldrich, Nelson W. (Nelson Wilmarth), 1841-1915

A runaway pig labeled “The Tariff Issue” drags Joseph Gurney Cannon behind it. They are being chased by John Dalzell, Nelson W. Aldrich, Sereno Elisha Payne, and J. S. Sherman. An overturned cart labeled “Steel Trust” has spilled its contents of steel railroad rails. Andrew Carnegie, wearing a kilt, stands next to the cart waving his hat and gesturing to the congressmen. In the background is a large crowd, some in pursuit, and the U.S. Capitol.

comments and context

Comments and Context

After the Republican party’s sweeping victory in the 1908 elections, the major goal of the party establishment, after the oath-taking of William H. Taft, seemed to be the passage of a tariff bill. It had been a decade since the last revision of import duties (the Dingley Act of 1897), and the tariff was a hot topic in the campaign.

Nelson W. Aldrich is pictured as a medieval warrior returned home from battles in far-away lands. He is greeted by a robust, full-bosomed woman labeled “Privilege” with a large money bag hanging at her side, and a child labeled “Infant Industries.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-08-04

A troop of soldiers wearing red coats, some labeled “Clothing Trust, Franchise Grabber, Food Trust, [and] Land Trust,” march past Daniel Chester French’s sculpture, “The Minute Man.” Among the soldiers are Nelson W. Aldrich wearing a miter and carrying a flag decorated with an emblem of a crowned hand pointing thumb-down in a squashing gesture, John Dalzell, J. S. Sherman, and Sereno Elisha Payne. Joseph Gurney Cannon is pictured kissing the boot of a fat officer labeled “Privilege” riding on a horse. In the background, more red coats are ransacking “The American Home” and tearing down the American flag.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Udo J. Keppler’s Fourth of July cartoon was a scathing indictment of the American economy, 1909, and specifically a gallery of politicians and business leaders he portrayed as dismissive of patriots and patriotism.

Uncle Sam leans against the rail at a bar, a glass in one hand and a cigar in the other, and looking a little disheveled. A cloth hanging from a pocket is labeled “Deficit.” A bottle labeled “High Protection” rests at his right elbow. The bartender, labeled “Congress,” is represented by the figure of Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, is offering some friendly advice. Caption: “Quit nothin’! Why, a little more of the same’ll make you feel O.K.”

comments and context

Comments and Context

Puck, in its opposition to higher import taxes, used in this cartoon a new weapon of censure, “Deficit.” In fact, high tariffs were bringing in much revenue to federal coffers, but there were moves afoot in both parties to replace monies from tariffs with a federal income tax.

A fire at the Treasury Building is billowing clouds of smoke labeled “Deficit.” Nelson W. Aldrich is the fire chief, and he is telling firefighters Stephen B. Elkins, Joseph Gurney Cannon, Sereno Elisha Payne, and Jacob H. Gallinger to send a fire engine labeled “Lower Tariff” back to the station. President William H. Taft and Elihu Root carry a large fire extinguisher labeled “Corporation Tax” and race up the steps of the building, attempting to extinguish the blaze. Caption: Chief Aldrich (at the great Treasury blaze) — Send that engine home! We’ll put her out with the extinguisher!

comments and context

Comments and Context

Udo J. Keppler’s cartoon, for all its drama while debates over tariff legislation were raging in the Capital, betrays a certain ambiguity. Editorially, Puck frequently through the years occasionally was ambiguous about its position on tariffs and trusts. So were the political parties, despite the Republicans (who received the cartoonist’s attention here) generally being the party of big business and high tariffs. President Roosevelt had begun to warm to the concept of “fair trade” and reciprocal trade agreements, on a country-to-country basis. Such concepts would be strongly advocated by President William H. Taft, particularly with the Philippines; and famously with Canada. He was to stake — and lose — much of his political capital, urging Canadian reciprocity.

This cartoon shows Nelson W. Aldrich as the master of the hunt throwing the twisted body of a man labeled “Consumer” to a pack of hunting dogs labeled “Lumber Trust, Fuel Trust, Clothing Trust, [and] Food Trust.” The caption reads, “Throwing the carcase [sic] to the pack.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-07-21

A group of men, scoffers, labeled “Tillman, Elkins, Penrose, Crane, Lodge, Depew, Gallinger, Aldrich, [and] Sherman” watch four men labeled “Cummins, Dolliver, Gore, [and] La Follette” construct an ark labeled “Principle.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1909-07-28

A chef labeled “Special Privilege” holds a large platter on which rests a huge turkey with the face of Theodore Roosevelt. He is about to place the platter on a table around which sit several men labeled “Cannon, Rockefeller, Archbold, Haskell, Payne, Dalzell, Elkins, Sherman, Foraker, Harrimen, Day, Rogers” and Nelson W. Aldrich.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The “Teddy-Turk” cartoon by Udo J. Keppler in Puck was the magazine’s strongest — in fact one of its only — comments on the election just concluded.

A chariot race is underway, with “Miss Democracy” driving a team of donkeys labeled “Dem. Congressional Campaign” and President “Taft” driving a team of white horses labeled “Rep. Congressional Campaign.” A chariot labeled “Payne-Aldrich Tariff Mess,” driven by Nelson W. Aldrich, has crashed in front of Taft, possibly derailing the Republican campaign in the upcoming Congressional election. Uncle Sam, a woman wearing a red liberty cap, and Puck, among others, watch from a platform in the center of the racetrack.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-08-24

President Taft balances a cone of papers, labeled “Administration” and showing the Republican elephant, on his nose. Struggling to get in the cone is “Ballinger” while already inside are “Elkins, Hitchcock, Wickersham, C. Taft, Crane, Dalzell, Cannon, Payne (holding on to a large question mark labeled “Tariff”), Aldrich, [and] Sherman.” Rolled-up papers in the cone are labeled “Standpat Legislation” and “Cost of Living Investigation.” Also in the cone, a dog labeled “Regulars” and a cat labeled “Insurgents” are fighting.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-08-31

Theodore Roosevelt is pictured as an evangelist preaching from “My Policies” in a tent with “Sherman, Cannon, Aldrich, Ballinger, Aldridge, Barnes, [and] Woodruff” sitting on the left, and “Depew, Lodge, [and] Odell” sitting on the right. “Crane”, who had been sitting on the right, has gotten up and is walking out. “Beveridge” is standing in the back at the entrance to the tent, and Dr. Abbott is next to Roosevelt, playing a piano. Across the tent hangs a banner that states, “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, but look out for the 8th of November.” Caption: And the sinners who won’t be saved.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-09-07

President Taft sits on the seashore with a cluster of seashells around him that are labeled “H. Taft, Sherman, Knox, Aldrich, Ballinger, Root, [and] Cannon.” He is holding two labeled “Chas. Taft” and “Wickersham” to his ears, listening for the sound of waves. A large wave, labeled “The People” and showing the face of Uncle Sam, rolls toward shore. Caption: Shells give a good imitation; but, just for a change, why not listen to the real thing?

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-07-27

A wave labeled “Republican Voters’ Revolt” crashes into the dining room of a ship where “Cannon, Payne, Taft, Knox, Sherman, Root, Aldrich, Woodruff, Dalzell, Crane, Wickersham, Lodge, Parsons, Hitchcock, Depew, Hale, Elkins, Ballinger, Smoot, Penrose, [and] Cox” are dining, and upsets a dish of “Party Plums,” as well as a bottle of “Stalwart Grog.” Caption: “We were crowded in the cabin, / Not a soul would dare to sleep; / It was midnight o’er the waters, / And a storm was on the deep.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-04-20

President Taft, as Alexander the Great, is accompanied by James S. Sherman, Sereno E. Payne, Nelson W. Aldrich, Joseph G. Cannon, and George W. Wickersham. They stand before Uncle Sam, shown as Diogenes. Uncle Sam sits at the base of an overturned dome in the shadows cast by Taft and the others who are blocking his sun. The sun shows the face of Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-04-27

In the left background, “Mount Sam” is erupting, spewing lava labeled “Revolt Against Cannonism, Havens’ Victory in New York, Indiana Upheaval, Increased Cost of Living, Demand for Lower Tariff, Democratic Gains, Consumer’s Revolt, [and] Western Insurgency” which is flowing toward an area labeled “Republican Majority in Congress.” In the left foreground, Nelson W. Aldrich and Eugene Hale flee the scene, while Joseph G. Cannon stands firm as the “Foss Landslide in Massachusetts” races toward him. On the right, President Taft with “Lodge, Root, Depew, Crane, [and] Payne appeal to a shrine containing a diminutive “Saint Ted.” On the far right, James S. Sherman is praying. Caption: Appeals to a patron saint to stop its flow.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-05-11

Uncle Sam hands top hats to Eugene Hale and Nelson W. Aldrich outside the doors of the “U.S. Senate.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-05-25

A galley labeled “Government Of, By, and For the People” sails past rocks labeled “Bossism” where other ships have wrecked, drawn by “Party Solidarity” sung by Republican sirens “Connors, Aldrich, Cox, Penrose, Woodruff, [and] Lodge” and “Partisanship” sung by Democratic sirens “Mack, Conners, Murphy, [and] Taggart” sitting on rocks above the crashing seas. Caption: The old stuff doesn’t go any more.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-06-01

President Taft, as a photographer, works in a darkroom illuminated by a small red light labeled “Public Support,” developing glass plates labeled “Progressive Measures.” One labeled “Tariff Reform Plate” is “Botched.” He is using “Cannon Developer” and “Aldrich Fixing Bath,” which he gets from bottles shaped like the heads of Joseph Cannon and Nelson W. Aldrich. Caption: An amateur photographer who spoils good plates by using bad chemicals.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-03-02

A ship labeled “Republican Machine,” with Nelson W. Aldrich at the helm and Henry C. Lodge, Joseph G. Cannon, Boies Penrose, James S. Sherman and Chauncey M. Depew hanging on, is starting to tip over in advance of a huge wave labeled “The Ultimate Consumer.” Riding the crest of the wave is a ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, with Theodore Roosevelt standing at the bow or forecastle. Caption: At the height of the storm, an added terror.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-03-02

A comet labeled “Allds Investigation” strikes a planet labeled “Albany Legislature,” causing it to explode among planets labeled “Aldrich, Penrose, Payne, Vreeland, Dalzell, Cannon, Hitchcock, Woodruff, Ballinger, Root, Platt, Depew, Parsons, Sherman, Bliss, Black, Cortelyou, Odell, Lodge, Hale, [and] Elkins.” A lone planet showing the face of Theodore Roosevelt hovers on the far right. Caption: A comet that has cut loose in the Republican constellation.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1910-03-09