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This is a fascinating find for American history buffs. The cartoons are from William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, dealing with the period around election of 1896. In 1896 most of the Democratic newspapers - notably Pulitzer's powerful New York World - bolted from supporting the party, with its radical populist free silver candidate William Jennings Bryan, leaving Hearst the only major eastern newspaper publisher cheering on the Democrat ticket (though Hearst really didn't believe in free silver either).
Davenport/Hearst's most prominent target is not Republican presidential candidate (and President from 1897) William McKinley, but his alleged controller, the industrialist and politician Senator Mark Hanna. McKinley is often shown as a tiny figure, dominated by Hanna and his allies, the large financial and industrial vested interests - the trusts. Hanna is shown always wearing clothes covered with dollar signs, the supposed all powerful leader of those monied interests often accused of exploiting and grinding under foot the American people. The image of Davenport's Mark Hanna, with his dollar covered outfits, became pervasive; one boy is said to have remarked to his father "Pa, I've just seen Mr Hanna, and he isn't wearing clothes covered with dollar signs!" Hanna was actually in many ways a rather good man, though certainly a strong political voice for plutocratic big business, which, like many others, he identified as being essential for fostering widespread prosperity.
Hearst would later be falsely accused of "inspiring" the anarchist who shot President McKinley in 1901. His newspapers were banned from many places and he was burned in effigy.
Davenport is a very skilful artist. He died in 1912. |
