Judge — March 18, 1882 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "The Judge," March 18, 1882 This cartoon satirizes **Roscoe Conkling**, a prominent Republican politician, who is being offered a position at the White House (shown in the window). The sign advertising "plenty of obscure places for intimate friends" suggests the administration is offering him a minor or deliberately undesirable post. Conkling's response—"No, thank you, I don't care to be shelved"—indicates he's rejecting what he views as political exile. The "Sphinx Bench" mechanism depicted as a trap suggests the offer is designed to remove him from power and influence. This likely references Conkling's real political struggles during the 1880s, when he lost influence within the Republican Party after disputes over patronage and party leadership. The cartoon mocks his wounded pride and his refusal to accept a diminished role, portraying him as too proud to accept anything less than a position of real power.