In this 1892 Puck cover, Louis M. Dalrymple exposes a Republican machine so corrupt it openly tries to purchase votes. A party operative, pockets bulging with cash, slips bribe money into envelopes while carrying a rifle and a smug grin. The printed letter beside him—reproduced from an actual political circular—spells out the strategy: pay Democrats to switch their votes and keep the operation secret. Puck specialized in calling out fraud, bribery, and authoritarian tactics masquerading as “moral ideas.” This cover makes clear that the threat to democracy has never come from ordinary voters — but from political insiders willing to buy power at any cost.
More than a century later, it still resonates: corruption erodes democracy when parties treat elections as something to purchase, not something to earn.
In this 1892 Puck cover, Louis M. Dalrymple exposes a Republican machine so corrupt it openly tries to purchase votes. A party operative, pockets bulging with cash, slips bribe money into envelopes while carrying a rifle and a smug grin. The printed letter beside him—reproduced from an actual political circular—spells out the strategy: pay Democrats to switch their votes and keep the operation secret. Puck specialized in calling out fraud, bribery, and authoritarian tactics masquerading as “moral ideas.” This cover makes clear that the threat to democracy has never come from ordinary voters — but from political insiders willing to buy power at any cost.
More than a century later, it still resonates: corruption erodes democracy when parties treat elections as something to purchase, not something to earn.
