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

What you’re looking at

# "The Two Machines" - Puck, October 1, 1876 This political cartoon satirizes the 1876 U.S. presidential election machinery. The central image shows two figures operating around a ballot box—one labeled as an "Engineer" speaking to "Kelly," complaining that his machine "won't pump at all" while the other machine works fine. Kelly responds that the other machine is "only fit for scrap iron." The cartoon critiques competing voting systems or electoral manipulation tactics during this contentious election period. The figures appear to represent different political factions or operatives struggling with election machinery—likely referencing fraud concerns, ballot-box tampering, or disputes over voting mechanisms that characterized the 1876 Hayes-Tilden election controversy.