Judge — August 2, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Boast of the Clevelandites" This August 2, 1884 *Judge* cartoon satirizes supporters of Grover Cleveland, the Democratic presidential nominee. Three caricatured men wearing hats labeled "Cleveland" and "Monopolist" carry signs reading "Scottish Whiskey Sellers Feel" and other commercial references, suggesting Cleveland's backers are primarily motivated by business interests and monopolies rather than principle. The caption—"We love him most for the enemies he has made"—ironically quotes Cleveland's supporters' own rhetoric while the visual contradicts it, showing them as self-interested merchants. The cartoon mocks Clevelandites for celebrating Cleveland based on commercial advantage rather than genuine political virtue, suggesting their support is hypocritical and economically rather than ideologically driven.