The Wasp — 1879 — page 384: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon from *The Wasp* depicts a donkey labeled "U.S.C." (likely representing the U.S. Congress or a political faction) being manipulated like a puppet. A hand from above dangles a carrot marked "3RD TERM" while pulling the donkey's reins. The globe the donkey holds suggests global/imperial ambitions. The "Will He Bite?" caption poses the central question: will Congress/the U.S. accept a third presidential term—a direct challenge to the two-term tradition George Washington established? This appears to reference late 19th or early 20th-century political controversy, likely concerning an incumbent president's potential reelection bid. The cartoon satirizes how political figures are manipulated by power-seeking ambitions, presenting Congress as a naive beast being controlled.