The Wasp — 1888 — page 390: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This May 1888 *Wasp* cartoon satirizes the effects of tariff policy changes. Two figures—one labeled "CLEVELAND" (President Grover Cleveland) and another labeled with what appears to be a political opponent—are depicted struggling on a mechanical contraption labeled with tariffs ("FRUIT," "SALMON," "SHIPPING"). The cartoon criticizes tariff "tinkering"—politically motivated adjustments to trade policies—as destabilizing and chaotic. The two figures are losing control of their mechanical apparatus, suggesting that tariff manipulation creates disorder rather than prosperity. The scattered boxes at their feet represent damaged industries or commerce. The satire suggests that presidential tariff policies, regardless of which party controls them, produce negative practical consequences for American trade and business.