The Wasp — 1891 — page 474: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features an article by Hon. William A. Peffer, United States Senator from Kansas, arguing for government control of money supply. The portrait shows Peffer himself. Peffer's argument contends that the government—not private banks and money lenders—should control currency to serve the public interest. He critiques how private money dealers profit from interest and lending while ordinary farmers and citizens suffer from inadequate money circulation. The satire appears directed at banking interests and wealthy financiers who Peffer viewed as exploiting common people through monetary control. This reflects late 19th-century Populist political sentiment opposing concentrated financial power. The accompanying hair-restoration advertisement is unrelated commercial content typical of period magazines.