"Four boxes govern the world—the cartridge box, the jury box, the ballot box, and the band box” is a saying cited in print from at least March 1850. (A band box holds articles of clothing, such as a woman’s hat.) The much-reprinted 19th century saying is of unknown authorship.


27 March 1850, Newport (RI) Daily News, pg. 2, col. 4:
Four boxes govern the world—the cartridge box, the jury box, the ballot box, and the band box.

Google Books
May 1850, The Family Favorite and Temperance Journal, pg. 99:
Four boxes govern the world: — the cartridge box, the jury box, the ballot box, and the band box.

30 May 1850, St. Albans (VT) Messenger, pg. 2:
Four boxes are said to govern the world:—The cartridge-box, the ballot-box, the jury box, and the band-box. 

6 August 1851. Wisconsin Free Democrat, pg. 536:
The Four Boxes which govern this world: “The Ballot Box—the Jury Box—the Cartridge Box, and the Band Box!”

Google News Archive
14 January 1870, St. Joseph (MO) Daily Gazette, pg. 3, col. 2:
Four boxes govern the world; the cartridge box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the band box.

Google News Archive
16 March 1871, Weekly Northern Indianian (Warsaw, IN), pg. 1, col. 6:
Some wag has said that, four boxes rule the world, these four being the jury-box, the ballot-box, the cartridge-box, and the band-box.

Google Books
Treasury of Wisdom, Wit and Humor, Odd Comparisons and Proverbs
By Adam Wooléver
Philadelphia, PA: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger
1878
Pg. 42:
The four boxes that rule the world— Cartridge-box, Ballot-box, Jury-box and Band box.