The Wasp — 1896 — page 958: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page celebrates *The Wasp* magazine's political cartoons, which the Sound Currency Committee of New York and San Francisco found valuable enough to print 30,000 copies for distribution. **"The Sliding Scale"** (top cartoon) depicts various figures labeled with free silver advocacy, criticizing the monetary policy debate of the 1890s. The figures appear to represent different political constituencies arguing over currency standards. **"Rurous"** (bottom) shows a woman at "Democratic Headquarters" viewing posters promoting "free silver" in countries like Guatemala, South America, China, Japan, and Mexico—satirizing how free silver advocates looked to foreign examples to support their monetary position during the 1896 presidential campaign. The cartoons address the intense silver-versus-gold currency controversy dominating 1890s American politics.