Judge — October 14, 1882 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1882 Judge cartoon satirizes political alliance between two figures opposing each other: "Cold Water Foster" (likely a temperance advocate) and "Lager Beer Sherman" (presumably General William Tecumseh Sherman, depicted as favoring alcohol). The caption's ironic title "More Harmony" mocks their unlikely cooperation from the same Ohio stump. The cartoon shows these opposing figures juggling contradictory platforms—Foster holds a beer mug labeled "BEER," while the other displays "WATER" and placards reading "RUM AND DEMOCRACY" and "FOSTER DEMOCRACY." Small caricatured figures (possibly representing German voters and other constituencies) surround them holding "German Vote" signs. The satire targets the political compromises and contradictions of the 1882 election cycle, particularly tensions between temperance movements and immigrant voters (Germans) who supported beer, while candidates attempted to appeal to both groups simultaneously.