Puck — March 5, 1879 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The President's Duty" This 1879 *Puck* cartoon satirizes President Rutherford B. Hayes's use of presidential vetoes. The bearded figure (Hayes) holds a sign reading "AN VETO" while standing over a map of Eastern states, with naval ships visible in the background. The caption quotes dialogue: Hayes says "Veto!" while Kearney responds "Then I'll secede!" and Hayes counters "Then, I'll veto that, too!"—mocking Hayes's apparent overreliance on vetoing legislation, including Reconstruction-era bills. The cartoon likely criticizes Hayes's political approach as ineffectual or one-dimensional. The reference to secession suggests tension over post-Civil War policies. The overall message: Hayes's solution to political problems is simply to veto everything, a lazy or inadequate governing strategy.