Judge — August 7, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Look Out! Willie McKinley" This August 1897 *Judge* cartoon satirizes President William McKinley regarding currency policy. The image shows a figure (likely McKinley, nicknamed "Willie") poking a hornets' nest labeled "CURRENCY QUESTION" and "HORNET NEST" with a stick—an idiom meaning to provoke a dangerous, volatile issue. The bare tree and aggressive wasps suggest the dangerous consequences of stirring up currency debate. The caption warns McKinley against initiating a "currency agitation"—political controversy over monetary policy, likely referencing debates between gold and silver standards that dominated 1890s politics. The satire criticizes McKinley for potentially creating political turmoil by engaging with contentious currency issues rather than avoiding them.