Judge — September 1, 1883 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Political Outcast" - Judge Magazine, September 1, 1883 This cartoon satirizes political patronage and joblessness. The central figure, a bearded man labeled "I AM A POLITICAL BLIND," represents someone claiming blindness as reason for government employment. He's literally depicted as blind, sitting on the street with a beggar's cup, holding a sign reading "NOTICE: I NEVER DRINK BEHIND THE BAR" (attributed to "R.B. Hayes" — likely former President Rutherford B. Hayes). The cartoon mocks the era's practice of politicians granting sinecures (cushy jobs) to supporters and the disabled. The caption's plea — "Please, sir, a Senatorship or a Post-Office for a Poor (P) Old Man" — ridicules how people exploited political connections and claimed hardship to obtain government positions. The satire targets both corrupt patronage and fraudulent disability claims.