Puck, v. 51, no. 1323 | - Theodore Roosevelt Center

An effective battering ram in the hands of the right men

Two strong men labeled “Labor” and “Commerce” use a battering ram labeled “Tariff Reform” to knock down a door in a building flying a banner for “High Protection.” A frightened man, labeled “Protected Trust” and wearing a crown, is looking over the wall.

Comments and Context

The deeper meaning behind Keppler’s straightforward message is his choice of labels. “Tariff Reform” indicates that Puck, editorially, was not advocating for free trade as some Populists and Bryan followers in the Democratic party did. The same point is made in the specific phrase in the caption “…in the hands of the right men.”

The modern Cassandra

William II, German Emperor, pushes a statue of “Frederick the Great” seated on horseback, behind a female figure labeled “‘Cassandra’ Stephens,” who is approaching Uncle Sam sitting on the U.S. Capitol Building. “Cassandra” represents a public personage named Stephens, nicknamed in the cartoon for the Greek goddess with the gift of prophecy.

Comments and Context

The statue of Frederick the Great was one of Germany’s gestures associated with the American visit of Prince Henry, the Kaiser’s brother, in 1902. The legendary leader was an ancestor of Kaiser Wilhelm and Prince Henry. The equestrian statue originally was placed in front of Roosevelt Hall at the Army War College in Washington, D.C. Because of sensibilities during two World Wars, as well as the relocation of the War College itself, the statue has also stood at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, and its current location at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The figure “Stephens” in Pughe’s cartoon is lost to history.