The Wasp — 1888 — page 227: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts a voting scene at a polling booth. A soldier stands guard with a rifle, controlling access to voters—depicted with exaggerated racial caricatures in period style. The signage references Cleveland (likely Grover Cleveland's presidential campaigns), and a "South" flag appears prominently. The satire critiques voter suppression and intimidation at polling places, particularly targeting Southern voting practices. The armed guard represents the intimidation tactics used to prevent certain populations from voting freely. The "freedom of the ballot" title is clearly ironic—the cartoon argues that despite democratic rhetoric about voting rights, actual electoral practices involved coercion and exclusion. This likely dates to the Reconstruction or post-Reconstruction era when voting access was heavily contested.