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 Democrats and the Tariff Question

 


 "The Difference Between Trimming a Hedge and Cutting It Down"
  Cartoonist:  William Allen Rogers
  Source:  Harper's Weekly
  Date:   August 4, 1888, p. 568

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Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
This cartoon emphasizes how sensibly mature the Democratic call for tariff reform is. President Grover Cleveland wisely trims away the surplus growth (referring to the large federal surplus created by high tariffs), while leaving in place the tariff hedge protecting American industry. Two leading Republican protectionists, Congressman Thomas B. Reed of Maine (left) and William “Pig Iron” Kelley of Pennsylvania (right), appear as weeping little boys. Uncle Sam rejects their fanciful stories that the protection hedge is being chopped down to allow in free-trade bears.
 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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