Antitrust Political Cartoons
"A Trustworthy Beast"
Originally published in Harper's Weekly (October 20, 1888)
William A. Rogers, artist
"A Trust Giant's Point of View"
Originally published in The Verdict (January 22, 1900)
Horace Taylor, cartoonist
In the latter part of the Gilded Age (the era of industrialization from the early 1860s to the turn of the century in which a few wealthy individuals gained tremendous power and influence), a growing number of the American population became alarmed about the increasing power of big business. Of particular concern were the giant trusts, which were groups of companies within an industry that joined together under one board of directors—called trustees—in order to reduce competition and control prices. As the trusts got bigger and stronger, they were able to buy out more and more of their competition, and the wealth became concentrated in just a few huge corporations, especially in transportation and heavy industry (industries that manufactured on a large scale with the use of complex and expensive machinery). To most people it seemed that there was no law or organization strong enough to break the trusts. Though many state governments tried to regulate business, the trusts could avoid the state regulations by moving their headquarters to another state, and the federal government continued to follow its long-standing policy of not interfering.
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