Representative William Springer of Illinois lets loose a bleating sheep, labelled “Free Wool,” from the House Chamber, while President Benjamin Harrison waits, poised to cut down the sprightly animal with his “Veto Power” axe. Springer, the Ways and Means chairman, advanced a revision to the highly protective McKinley Tariff of 1890, removing all duties from wool. He argued that American wool farmers received no benefit from the tariff because they required heavily taxed foreign wool to create the blends desired by manufacturers. The Republican President, though, stands ready to defend the protectionist policy. Puck magazine, named for the mischievous character in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, published satirical cartoons on contemporary controversies and poked at political corruption on both sides of the aisle.
