The Wasp — 1890 — page 325: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts **Old McKinley Bill** as a figure on a wagon labeled "McKinley Bills Protection for the Producer," holding aloft what appears to be a rifle or similar object. He's confronted on "the Peoples' Highway" by Democratic opponents labeled as "Splurgers and Free Traders." McKinley's quoted dialogue defends his protectionist economic policies as "old-fashioned" while dismissing opponents as "too light for the situation." The cartoon attacks the McKinley Tariff's protectionist stance—favoring domestic producers through trade barriers—versus Democratic free-trade positions. The western setting and militant imagery suggest fierce political battle over economic policy, with the cartoon satirizing McKinley's aggressive protection of American manufacturing interests against Democratic opposition.