“Political Purity,” Puck, 1884
This Democratic cartoon suggests the disillusionment with Republicans that emerged among many voters in the 1880s. Here, the party chooses a dress, bustle, and plume to celebrate Republicans’ achievements in prior decades: the Union war record, Emancipation, and “high moral ideals.” Her undergarments tell a different story: they are marked with scandals of the Grant era (see "“The Disillusioned Liberals” in Chapter 15), while the economic interests of tariff supporters (“protection”) are depicted as her corset. The hats in the upper right corner show Republicans’ attempts to appeal to various constituencies: temperance advocates and German immigrants, workingmen and business leaders. Whitelaw Reid, staunchly Republican editor of the New York Tribune, appears as the party’s handmaiden. Puck, August 20, 1884.