💰🎭 Cartoons of Control: How Early 20th-Century Illustrators Exposed the Illusion of Political Choice

First of all, I would like to thank ~Sineh~ for his 2011 blog exploring political cartoons from the early 20th century. It was through his work that I first encountered these powerful illustrations—visual critiques of a political and financial system that, disturbingly, still governs us today.

While the artist behind the first cartoon remains unknown, cartoons 2 and 4 were drawn by Alfred Owen Crozier, and cartoon 3 by Carey Orr during his tenure at the Chicago Tribune. These works are more than satire—they’re prophecy.

🖼️ The Cartoons and Their Message

1️⃣ The Bankers Own the False Left/Right Paradigm

This cartoon depicts Wall Street and banking interests controlling both major political parties. The message is clear: the illusion of choice masks a deeper unity of purpose—serving financial power

2️⃣ Tax Revenue Funnels to Wall Street

Crozier’s work shows how the machinery of government—regardless of party—funnels public funds upward. The taxpayer becomes a cog in a system designed to enrich the few.

3️⃣ Deficits as Chains for Future Generations

Carey Orr illustrates how bureaucratic expansion and deficit spending enslave future citizens. The guise of public service hides a deeper agenda: perpetual debt and interest payments to private institutions.

4️⃣ Debt Slavery to the Rothschilds and Beyond

Crozier’s final cartoon is stark. It portrays citizens as debt-tax slaves, yoked to a global financial elite. The imagery is dramatic, but the underlying critique remains relevant

🏛️ Aldrich Plan vs. Federal Reserve: A Shift in Control

The Aldrich Plan, proposed by Republicans, aimed to create a National Reserve Association—a privately controlled central bank. It was replaced by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 under the Wilson administration, a Democratic initiative. Though framed as reform, the Federal Reserve System retained private influence and autonomy from democratic oversight.

Crozier and others saw this as a bait-and-switch: a change in name, not in substance. The cartoons reflect this betrayal—where both parties, despite their differences, serve the same financial masters.

🎭 The False Left/Right Paradigm

These cartoons expose a system where:

• Tax revenue is siphoned to financial institutions.
• Deficits are incurred not for public good, but to service debt.
• Citizens are reduced to economic units—taxpayers and debtors.

The semblance of choice between parties masks a shared allegiance to monetary orthodoxy. The policies of the 20th century have matured into the dysfunctions of the 21st.

💡 The Real Reform Begins at the Source

“There is no bill Congress can present or executive order the president can sign that will successfully combat income inequality and pursue opportunity for all without addressing the Federal Reserve System itself first. Then the rest can and will follow.”

This is the heart of the matter. Until we confront the structure of currency creation, debt issuance, and interest accumulation, all other reforms are cosmetic.

🗣️ A Legacy of Warning

These early cartoons are not just historical artifacts—they are warnings. The artists saw the trajectory of centralized financial control and partisan theater. Their work remains a mirror to our present.

The false left/right paradigm continues, now with more polish and better branding. But the machinery beneath remains unchanged. And unless we address it, we remain—as Crozier feared—debt-tax slaves to a system designed not for liberty, but for control.