'They Both Claim Him' cartoon   Save
President William McKinley Cartoon Collection
Description: In this editorial cartoon, William McKinley is shown as torn between the two forces in the 1896 controversy over the gold standard. McKinley, dressed as Napoleon, is trying to ride his hobby horse of "High Protection," but is being pulled to either side by a "gold bug" and a "silverite." High protection is a reference to McKinley's desire to enact a high tariff on foreign imports to protect American manufacturing. During his time in the House of Representatives, McKinley had focused on the tariff issue. However, the election of 1896 was focused on the question of the gold standard. The Republicans, McKinley's party, insisted that the national economy depended upon the currency remaining tied to the gold standard; that is, that the paper money be entirely backed by gold held by the federal government. The Democrats, and their candidate William Jennings Bryan, advocated a loosening of this standard by backing the currency with both gold and silver. McKinley won the presidency in 1896 and again in 1900, and served until he was assassinated in 1901. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA7_P20
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843-1901; Political cartoons; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidents--United States; Economic issues
Places: President William McKinley Cartoon Collection