Silver question

Uncle Sam’s “crazes” past and present

This vignette cartoon depicts, at center, the current “craze” for “Free Silver,” showing Uncle Sam riding a silver rocking horse. Surrounding vignettes show him participating in several fads “Past and Present,” such as the “Blue Glass Craze” after A. J. Pleasonton’s discovery of the properties of blue light; the “Prohibition Crusade”; the “Roller-Skating Craze”; a puzzle craze in the 1880s including the “Fifteen Puzzle,” with 15 sliding blocks in a square box, and “Pigs in Clover,” a “rolling-ball dexterity puzzle”; the “Paderewski Craze” around 1891 for piano music by Ignace J. Paderewski; the cycling craze, which has not yet ended; and the “Schlatter Craze,” which did come to an end with the disappearance and death of faith healer Francis Schlatter.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-07-29

Under one flag

William Jennings Bryan stands on a tree stump labeled “Demagogism” and waving a flag labeled “Repudiation.” On the left is an anarchist labeled “Dynamite” holding a “Bomb” and a torch, and standing on papers labeled “Law” and “Order.” On the right is a man with a long beard, who may represent a western silver mine owner, standing on papers labeled “Contracts” and “Debts.” Caption: The stump-orator candidate and his allies.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-08-05

The silver-tongued ventriloquist and his dummies

A “Silver Mine Owner” depicted as a “silver-tongued ventriloquist” sits on a box labeled “16 to 1” on a stage, with William Jennings Bryan as a dummy sitting on his lap, holding papers labeled “Free Silver Harangues.” In two boxes at the mine owner’s feet are dummy Arthur “Sewall” on the right and dummies William A. “Peffer,” Benjamin R. “Tillman,” John Peter “Altgeld,” and George Fred “Williams” on the left. Caption: If the show succeeds, he’ll get all the profits.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-08-12

A down-hill movement

A wagon labeled “Free Silver” is filled with a group of “free silver” supporters identified as “Tillman, Boies, Sheehan, Bland, Blackburn, Bryan, Sewall, Pattison, Sibley, Jones, Geo. Fred Williams, Peffer, [and] Altgeld.” Tillman holds a pitchfork with flag labeled “Repudiation” and Altgeld holds a burning torch. The wagon had been harnessed to a mule wearing a halter labeled “Democracy.” It has broken loose and is gathering speed as it rolls backwards down a hill. Caption: Silver Lunatics–Hip, hip, hurrah! Just see how much faster we are going since we cut loose!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-08-12

Out Nebraska way

Puck, carrying a valise labeled “Sound Money Doctrine,” talks to a hayseed farmer sitting on a fence, reading the “Free Silver Screamer.” In the background, houses and barns labeled “Mortgage” are falling into ruin. Caption: Puck–What’s the matter with you? Why ain’t you getting out your crops? Grain and corn are bringing big prices, and good times have come again. / Farmer Weedly (Silver Fanatic)–No, sir-ree! What’s the use of raising crops for the gold bugs from Wall Street to eat up? Free Silver is the only thing that’ll save us!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-07-17

Among the silent ones

Uncle Sam, holding a paper labeled “Political Guide,” rides on a camel being led by Puck through the “City of Silence,” past several silent sphinxes labeled “Tom Reed, Allison, McKinley, Morton, [and] Harrison.” Includes dialogue between Uncle Sam and Puck that tells how these rulers were turned to stone for being unable to answer the currency question. Caption: Scene–The City of Silence in the Land of G.O.P., ferninst the Great Political Desert. – Enter Uncle Sam with Puck, his Dragoman.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-07-31

Silly old women! – their little brooms can’t sweep back the great big ocean

Several men dressed as maids and holding brooms stand on shore or awash in huge waves labeled “Business Revival” and “Sound Money.” The men are identified on their bonnets or on their brooms as “Hoar War Tariff,” “Bland Free Silver,” “Wolcott Silver,” “Teller Free Silver,” “Jones Free Silver,” “Reid High Protection,” “Stewart Free Silver,” “Carter,” “Peffer,” “Crisp,” and “Blackburn Free Silver.” “McKinley” holds the largest broom labeled “Prohibitory Protection.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-08-14

They mourn their loss

William McKinley, Benjamin Harrison, and John Sherman are pictured as old women in mourning among gravestones labeled, “Here lies our dear McKinley Bill. Ruthlessly assassinated in the flower of its youth by the tariff reform bandits of the 53rd Congress,” “Sacred to the memory of the Federal Election Law, annihilated by the guerrillas of the 53rd Congress. R.I.P.,” and “Here lies the Sherman Silver Law. Cruelly done to death by G. Cleveland. We bear our loss with fortitude.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1894-09-12

Rough on the eagle!

William M. Steward, on the left, and William McKinley, on the right, have a strangle-hold on a bald eagle that has a stars and stripes shield on its breast. They are plucking its feathers and stuffing them into large bags labeled “Silver Grab Bag” and “Tariff Grab Bag.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1893-08-23

May the country be spared this pitiful sight!

A group of Democrats, identified as “Hill, Murphy, Vest, Bland, Matthews, Morgan, Harris, Crisp, Tillman, Altgeld, Campbell, [and] Stevenson,” stand near a bier labeled “Dem. Free Coinage Platform” on which lies the expired “Democratic Party” donkey. A ladder labeled “Chicago Convention” has been placed against the bier and the “Chicago Nominee,” wearing the black shroud of a widow, climbs to the top. Benjamin R. Tillman places more straw on the bier with a pitchfork, while John Peter Altgeld and James E. Campbell use torches to ignite fuses to burn the donkey. David B. Hill and Edward Murphy console each other.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-07-08

A desperate case of political dipsomania

A drunken man sits in a chair with jugs and bottles labeled “Repudiation Gin, Free Silver Rum, Tillman’s Firewater, Populist Whiskey, [and] Altgeld’s Fizz” on the floor next to him. His rumpled hat labeled “Democratic Party” hangs off the back of the chair. “Dr. Puck” has approached from the left and recommends that he take the “Gold Cure.” Standing on the left is a group of “eminent physicians” labeled “Harrity, Carlisle, Vilas, Whitney, [and] Russell,” and one unidentified man. Caption: Dr. Puck–My unfortunate friend, we eminent physicians have held a consultation, and have decided that nothing will save you but an immediate and thorough application of the Gold Cure.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-07-01

Politics makes strange wheel-fellows

Grover Cleveland and Thomas B. Reed ride down the “Sound-Money Road” on a bicycle built for two, with tires labeled “Gold Standard,” and honking horns labeled “Ki-Yi Gun” at a small dog labeled “Silverite.” Caption: “In my opinion, Speaker Reed is the strongest and brainiest man in your (the Republican) party.” President Cleveland to Congressman Milliken, as per N.Y. World.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-07-01

Gone crazy

An old man labeled “Silverite” rides on the “Dem. Party” donkey, racing toward an “Abyss of Political Mania.” A policeman labeled “Sound Money Democrats” chases him on horseback.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-06-24

He must be kept out

Uncle Sam is a policeman using a billy club labeled “Votes” to prevent a diminutive figure labeled “Free Silver” and “16 to 1” from entering the White House with papers labeled “Populism” and “Dishonest Money Schemes.” Caption: Uncle Sam–Consarn ye! you’ve spoiled my Senate and House of Representatives but I’ll never let you get into the White House! – that’s all I’ve got left to depend on!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-06-17

The skeleton at the feast

Republican politicians wearing Roman togas are seated around a banquet table with a skeleton that is holding a standard labeled “McKinley’s Shaky Financial Record.” Gathered around the table are John “Sherman,” Stephen B. “Elkins,” Russell A. “Alger,” Charles H. “Grosvenor,” William “McKinley,” Mark A. “Hanna,” Christopher L. “Magee,” William M. “Hahn,” Joseph B. “Foraker,” Cornelius N. “Bliss,” Herman H. “Kohlsaat,” Edward Oliver “Wolcott,” and Whitelaw “Reid.” Caption: The ancient custom of the Romans of seating a skeleton at their banquet-tables, to remind them of death, is now being revived by our Republican friends.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-06-10

Fizz! Boom!! Ah!!!

A fireworks display is being prepared. An “Anarchist” and John Peter “Altgeld” are lighting a rocket labeled “Altgeld Anarchistic Boom,” and several men identified as “Bland, Crisp, Teller, Waite, Blackburn, Wolcott, Morgan, [and] Stewart” are lighting rockets around a large medallion labeled “Free Silver Coinage Craze” with a silver coin labeled “In 16 to 1 We Trust.” Blackburn is holding a rocket labeled “Silver Speech” and on the ground are fireworks labeled “Snap Silver Resolutions.” At a table on the right, labeled “Coin’s Financial Hocus Pocus Game,” is William H. Harvey operating a shell game, and behind him is William A. Peffer, the “Windy Man from Kansas.” Caption: They are making great preparations for their Populistic Pyrotechnical display; but it will be only another fizzle.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-07-03

The circus has come!

William C. “Whitney” is the ringmaster at a circus where “D. B. Hill” is performing a horse riding trick by trying to ride two horses at once, a small horse labeled “Gold Standard” and a larger horse labeled “Free Silver.” Also in the ring is a clown labeled “Harvey.” Among those in the audience are William McKinley, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas B. Reed, John Sherman, George F. Hoar, William B. Allison, William E. Chandler, William F. Peffer, Whitelaw Reid, Grover Cleveland, and Joseph J. C. Blackburn or Charles A. Boutelle. Caption: The New Ringmaster–Gentlemen of the audience, the great equestrian, “The Senator,” will perform his thrilling feat of riding two horses simultaneously! – Brace up, Dave, everybody’s looking at you!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-06-26

It can not pass while he is there

President Cleveland stands on the steps to the “U.S. Treasury,” holding a large sword labeled “Sound Money Policy,” with left hand raised to stop the progress of an eight-headed, silver-scaled hydra labeled “Free Silver Craze.” The heads are identified as “Jones, Crisp, Peffer, Harvey, Stewart, Wolcott, Bland, [and] Blackburn.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-06-19

The financial fakir fooling the farmers

A man wearing a sash labeled “Harvey,” with a horn attached, stands on a platform with stacks of books, pointing to a board that states, “Coin’s Financial School – Declare fifty cents Silver to be Worth One Dollar in Gold and You will Make Two Dollars of One Dollar, therefore Silver has Twice the Purchasing Power of Gold. Figures Never Lie. If You Don’t Believe This, Buy My Book and Be Convinced! (Only 50 cents a copy).” Standing in front of the platform are several hayseed farmers.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-06-12

Sounding the tocsin

President Cleveland pulls on a rope labeled, “Cleveland’s letter to Citizens of Chicago,” and rings a bell labeled “Sound Money Alarm” to warn them that dark smoke labeled “Free Silver Coinage” from a raging fire is bearing down upon them.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-05-08