Puck — May 1877 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Spoiling Their Little Game" – Puck Cartoon Analysis The main cartoon depicts two figures (identified in text as "Blaine and Morton") who have "experienced a terrible disappointment." The satire concerns Republican candidates whose political strategy has been undermined. The text explains they sought public sympathy through grievance-mongering—specifically outrage over Southern policy—but this approach has backfired. The cartoon shows them thwarted by Hayes (likely President Rutherford B. Hayes), whose actions have "cooled the ardor" of their campaign. The satire ridicules political opportunism: Blaine and Morton hoped to weaponize discontent for electoral gain, but Hayes's policies have neutralized their advantage, leaving them embarrassed. This reflects 1870s Republican internal divisions over Reconstruction and Southern policy.