Whig Henry Clay and his running mate Theodore Frelinghuysen supported a protective tariff in the presidential election of 1844.  Their opponents, Democratic nominees James K. Polk and George Dallas did not necessarily favor free trade, but did object to excessive tariffs.

The Tariff of 1842 substantially raised the import tax on foreign goods in an effort to protect U.S. industry from European competition. Loco Slang refers to the radical wing of the Democratic Party called Locofocos.  They opposed protective tariffs but by this time, the name was used derisively to refer to all Democrats.

This campaign cartoon is printed on the reverse side of Charles Rivière Hérard.

NOTE ON DATE:
On May 1, 1844 the Whig nominating convention picked Theodore Frelinghuysen as Henry Clay’s running mate while at the end of the same month, the Democrats unexpectedly chose James K. Polk and George Dallas as their candidates.  This places the date of the print, which refers to the candidacy of all four men, after May 1844.

However, it seems unlikely that the print on the reverse, Charles Rivière Hérard, was published that late, given that Hérard was overthrown in Haiti in May 1844.  It is conceivable that unsold prints were recycled by printing campaign cartoons on the blank side.