'A Painful Position for Nurse McKinley' cartoon   Save
President William McKinley Cartoon Collection
Description: This cartoon shows William McKinley, presidential candidate of the Republican Party in 1896, as a nursemaid torn between two charges. The child on the floor, which he says he actually loves best, is labeled "High Protection," as a reference to McKinley's goal of enacting high tariffs to protect American manufacturing. On his lap sits a baby identified as "Gold Standard." 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, led by McKinley, 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 received much of his financial backing from Republicans determined to maintain the gold standard, and this thus became the key issue he had to address during the campaign. 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_P15
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843-1901; Political cartoons; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidents--United States; Economic issues
Places: President William McKinley Cartoon Collection