The joys of attempting the impossible
Senator Mark Hanna draws a life-sized portrait of himself as a Greek or Roman statesman. Two men labeled “Capital” and “Labor” stand nearby. In the background is a large monument stating “In memory of the man who reconciled Labor and Capital.” Caption: “I would want no greater memorial than to have the world remember that I did something to end the wars between American capital and American labor” – From speech by Senator Hanna.
Comments and Context
Despite the ambitions of Senator Marcus Hanna as quoted in this cartoon, there was widespread skepticism of, at least, his beneficent attitude toward labor. The perception was in large measure established in the public’s mind, and history’s judgment, by cartoonists. Keppler’s profile here is mild compared to the unrelenting and famed caricatures of Homer Davenport, chief political cartoonist of the Hearst newspapers. Taking advantage of Hanna’s first name, he drew the senator in garish checked suits with dollar signs in every square; hence the nickname “Dollar Mark.” Davenport frequently drew Hanna as a virtual cannibal, feasting on the carcasses of American laborers. Keppler, here, was mild in comparison.
