The Judge, Vol. 6, No. 142

The Republican Pharisees (July 5, 1884)

This cover cartoon depicts three figures in white robes with red stripes, styled as biblical Pharisees, gesturing skyward with the caption "Thank God we are not like other men." The image satirizes Republican hypocrisy during the 1884 campaign season. One figure holds a document labeled "Tariff," linking the satire to the protectionist trade policies central to Republican platform debates. Judge's editorial cartoonists regularly employed biblical and classical references to mock political opponents, here suggesting Republican self-righteousness masked corrupt or unprincipled conduct. The cartoon exemplifies the partisan combat between Judge and its Democratic rival Puck, which dominated American illustrated humor during the 1880s through exaggerated caricature, topical commentary, and visual metaphor aimed at the urban newspaper-reading public.