The title of this cartoon is, "The Pyrrhic victory of the Mulligan Guards in Maine; another victory like this, and our money's gone!"

Puck Magazine's artist Joseph Keppler drew many cartoons of James G. Blaine.

In 1884 former Speaker of the House James G. Blaine lost the election to Grover Cleveland partially due to the stigma of the "Mulligan letters."

In 1876, a Boston bookkeeper named James Mulligan had located some letters showing that Blaine had sold his influence in Congress to various businesses.

Subsequently these were obtained by Blaine and destroyed, causing a "coverup" that led to Blaine’s defeat.