Life, 1888-05-03 · page 3 of 16
Life — May 3, 1888 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "High Tariff" Life Magazine Page This page satirizes late 19th-century American tariff politics. The central illustration labeled "HIGH TARIFF" depicts a castle under siege, representing protectionist trade barriers as a defensive fortification. The text references recent political conflicts: April mentions Bismarck's diplomatic efforts in Europe and Boulanger's military ambitions in France. The second paragraph shifts to domestic American politics, discussing an ongoing "tariff fight" and predicting that protectionist forces will successfully defend high tariffs against reform efforts. The elaborate decorative border and period illustrations suggest this is from the 1880s-1890s, when American tariff policy was a major political battleground between protectionists (who wanted high tariffs) and free-trade advocates. The "castle" metaphor humorously depicts tariffs as both defensive and entrenched institutions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AS KY? NCS Vi HC Wa —= WW WE: 0 io Mi SNCS ft N AQ) vy « APR has gone into history and left Bismarck on the records in a new role, and an un- successful one, attempting to prevent the marriage of the expelled Prince of Bulgaria, Alexander of Battenberg, to a Princess who is abundantly able to support him; while in France, Boulanger has risen triumphant over his enemies, and been given sufficient opportunity to build castles in the air, and even to think of a possible parallel in the future between his own career and that of the other warrior that France worshipped for a while. + # 8 | f aN We EE SESE IH! [§ ourowm glorious country we have witnessed the beginning of a tariff fight which we have not yet heard the end of by any means, But, as revolutions do not go backward, it is certain enough that the cohorts of the tariff reformers will storm the high tariff castle and that victory will perch upon their banners, UN | PY) os Ly Ais ey || CF, ee comicbooks.com