Cutting in on the Wire
2/24/1918
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This cartoon shows Uncle Sam calling “Mr. Telephone Co.” and offering to take over phone service during the war. It was drawn at the beginning of the United States Postal Service’s push to acquire the District of Columbia’s telephone service from the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company.
Memos on Uncle Sam’s desk list other related industries that were nationalized in the interest of the war efforts. The Federal Government nationalized the railroad system in 1918, and shipyard strikes led to calls to nationalize the shipbuilding industry as well. Congress passed a joint resolution on July 16, 1918, granting the President power to nationalize the telephone systems for the duration of the war. President Wilson announced that the Post Office would take control of the phone system on July 31. Following the war, legislation was passed returning the phone system to private ownership.
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 cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
Memos on Uncle Sam’s desk list other related industries that were nationalized in the interest of the war efforts. The Federal Government nationalized the railroad system in 1918, and shipyard strikes led to calls to nationalize the shipbuilding industry as well. Congress passed a joint resolution on July 16, 1918, granting the President power to nationalize the telephone systems for the duration of the war. President Wilson announced that the Post Office would take control of the phone system on July 31. Following the war, legislation was passed returning the phone system to private ownership.
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 cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate .
National Archives Identifier: 6011355
Full Citation: Cartoon V-018; Cutting in on the Wire; 2/24/1918; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896-1949; Records of the U.S. Senate , Record Group 46 ; National Archives Building, Washington DC, 20408. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/cutting-wire, March 29, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.