The Wasp — 1892 — page 371: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This *Wasp* cartoon satirizes **James G. Maguire**, a California congressman running in the Fourth Congressional District. The caricature depicts him as a hypocrite—a "double-minded man" (quoting the biblical epigraph)—whose political positions contradict each other. The left and right text columns list his contradictory stances: he left the Democratic party yet claims labor support; he deserted labor causes; he opposed and supported Buckley's ticket at different times; he preaches against boycotts while practicing them. The visual elements—a soap box, P.T. Barnum reference ("Americans like to be humbugged"), and scattered papers—mock him as a humbug politician who shifts positions opportunistically. The cartoon's point: Maguire is unprincipled and untrustworthy, changing his platform to suit electoral advantage.