Judge — June 14, 1884 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge cartoon titled "The Prize" depicts a large horn labeled "REPUBLICAN CONVENTION" pouring out numerous figures into a boat on water, while a lighthouse (representing authority/oversight) stands in the background. The satire criticizes the Republican Party convention as producing numerous mediocre or undesirable candidates—shown as undistinguished figures tumbling from the horn's "little end." The phrase "out of the little end of the horn" (a period idiom meaning obtaining something of little value) reinforces the mockery: the convention supposedly yields only worthless political "prizes." The boat labeled "cow" and the water setting suggest these candidates will be distributed or must navigate uncertain political waters ahead. The cartoon mocks the Republican nomination process as producing inferior leadership material.