The Wasp — 1892 — page 204: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"The Tin-Horn Merchants"** (top illustration): Shows two men in conversation about San Francisco business matters, likely mocking small-time merchants or traders making inflated claims about commerce and trade. **"The Joint Debate"** (center): A poem attributed to Stephen White debating free trade versus protection—the national election issue of the era. The speaker boasts he'll "take the free-trade side" and argues McKinley's tariff policies harm the country. **"Thought He Saw Them"** (bottom right): A brief cartoon mocking "Mr. McSwiffer (of the Unreformed Democracy)" who claims he'd drink enough to "cure 'em" if Democrats were the problem, suggesting partisan criticism of Democratic incompetence. The page satirizes 1890s trade policy debates and political posturing.