Soda Springs Discusses "the State of the Nation"
Cowboys sit and stand outside a post office labelled Rimrock, Ariz., trading remarks in dialect on shortages, cars, beef, the Office of Price Administration, the president and the District of Columbia's lack of a vote. The cartoon uses rural everyman voices to comment on the national mood; the tell is plain-folks, with homespun speakers standing for ordinary opinion.
Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon
- Date
- February 10, 1946
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Washington Evening Star (cartoonist Jim Berryman)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Truman Administration
- Leader
- Harry S. Truman
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- Economy and finance, Home front
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), Records of the U.S. Senate, Jim Berryman Political Cartoons (NAID 5730852), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
Jim Berryman, Washington Evening Star. National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Senate, 5743137 (NAID 5743137).
Text on the object
POST OFFICE RIMROCK ARIZ. WONDER WHY TH'PRESIDENT DOESN'T FLY OUT T'ARIZONY 'STEAD O'FLORIDY---OUGHT TER BE RESTFUL FER HIM OUT HERE. NOBODY'S DOIN' ANYTHING! SHORE, I GOT A NEW AUTTYMOBILE ORDERED----SO HAS EVERY BUCKAROO IN TH'HULL DURN STATE! BUT AH'M HAVIN' THIS SADDLE OVERHAULED JEST T'PLAY SAFE FER A FEW YEARS! GUESS I JUST DON'T SAVVY THIS POLLYTICAL BIZNESS, IKE-- FER 12 YEARS WE HEARD NOTHIN' BUT BILLIONS---NOW THEY'S FEUDIN' OVER 3 AN' 4 CENTS! SHORTAGES? WHY, JIM, YOU CITY FELLERS DON'T KNOW NOTHIN' ABOUT 'EM!----ONE MORE YEAR O' PEACE AN' WE WON'T EVEN HAVE CACTUS HYAR! SPEAKIN' OF SHORTAGES--- IN THE D.C. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A VOTE! SAY, COTTONWOOD, IF I SLAUGHTERED AN' PACKED SOME OF MY OWN BEEF--WHO'D NAB ME.. TH'O.P.A. OR THEM F.B.I. BOYS? AT LEAST I'M GONNA HAVE ONE GOOD HAND FER TH' SPRING ROUND-UP.... MY BOY'S GITTIN' OUTA TH'PENTAGON BUILDIN' TH'FIRST O'MARCH! JIM BERRYMAN (RIMROCK, ARIZ.)
