Judge — October 29, 1881 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Two Political Dromios" - Judge, October 29, 1881 This cartoon satirizes the Democratic and Republican parties as twin donkeys confronting each other outside their respective headquarters, both displaying "NO BOSSES WANTED" signs. The title references Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" (the Dromios were identical twins), suggesting the parties are indistinguishable from each other. The satire appears to critique both major parties for hypocrisy regarding political "bosses" (party machine leaders who wielded considerable power). By depicting them as identical animals making the same claim, Judge mocks the parties' shared reliance on patronage and backroom control despite their public denials. The caption "What are we going to do about it?" expresses satirical helplessness—voters had no genuine alternative, as both parties engaged in the same corrupt practices they publicly condemned.