Anyone Home?
2/24/1920
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During World War I, the government had seized control of the nation's railroads as part of the effort to shift the economy to wartime production, causing railroad workers to be chafed under provisions of the seizure that restricted wage increases. After long debates both houses of Congress approved a railroad bill which would denationalize ownership, and that bill was sent to President Woodrow Wilson for his approval.
Even when a bill has cleared all the hurdles in the legislative process through both houses of Congress, it still requires the signature of the President to become law. Only a small percentage of bills introduced in any Congress make it this far in the legislative process.
This cartoon conveys a railroad bill’s anxiety about how it will be received by the President. Representatives of the railway workers unions were debating whether to urge Wilson to veto the bill because of its labor provisions. Berryman shows that the decision is now up to the President. The railroad bill caricature, with top hat in hand and O.K. stamps from both the House and the Senate on his frock coat, rings the doorbell at the White House.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
Even when a bill has cleared all the hurdles in the legislative process through both houses of Congress, it still requires the signature of the President to become law. Only a small percentage of bills introduced in any Congress make it this far in the legislative process.
This cartoon conveys a railroad bill’s anxiety about how it will be received by the President. Representatives of the railway workers unions were debating whether to urge Wilson to veto the bill because of its labor provisions. Berryman shows that the decision is now up to the President. The railroad bill caricature, with top hat in hand and O.K. stamps from both the House and the Senate on his frock coat, rings the doorbell at the White House.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.
National Archives Identifier: 6011590
Full Citation: Anyone Home?; 2/24/1920; (M-023); Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896 - 1949; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/anyone-home, May 21, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Congress in Article I of the Constitution
Created by the National Archives Education Team - The Legislative Process: Congress at Work
Created by the National Archives Education Team - The Three Branches of Government
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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