Judge — November 5, 1881 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes newspaper editors' unified support for Arthur (likely Chester Arthur, vice president at the time). The figure on the left holds a "Custom House" document while addressing a "chorus" of editors on the right, who appear to be responding in unison. The central visual joke involves an inkbottle labeled "PRINTER'S INK FOR TAFFY INK"—a pun suggesting editors produce flattery ("taffy") rather than honest journalism. The scattered papers at bottom reinforce this critique of editorial corruption. The cartoon appears to attack the collusion between political patronage (custom house appointments) and press manipulation, suggesting editors were compromised by government connections and produced propaganda rather than independent reporting.