Judge, 1884-08-16 · page 4 of 16
Judge — August 16, 1884 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Two Dromios" Political Cartoon Explanation This 1884 Judge cartoon satirizes voter indecision during the presidential election between **James G. Blaine** (Republican) and **Grover Cleveland** (Democrat). The poem depicts a voter's tortured deliberation: he reads Democratic press attacking Blaine as "a living lie" and praising Cleveland's morals, then reverses after reconsidering both candidates. The voter ultimately settles on Blaine, though the constant flip-flopping suggests the absurdity of relying on partisan media for electoral judgment. The title "The Two Dromios" (referencing Shakespeare's *Comedy of Errors*) implies the candidates are interchangeable twins—both confusingly similar when examined critically. The satire targets not specific policies but rather the voter's gullibility to contradictory press coverage, suggesting that careful political analysis yields only confusion rather than clarity. The accompanying "Light of Other Days" prose piece is unrelated domestic humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE JUDGE. TNS The Two Dromios. Two candidates, up for election, I scanned with a critical eye, + Which one ought to mect with rejection; " Said 1 to myself, said I So I studied the press, (Democratic) “Why, Blaine is a living lie, While Cleveland is aristocratic!” Said 1 to myself, said 1 “This Blaine is a tramp, and he shall not In November clope with the pie fs y weight lies in my ballot,” Said I to myself, said 1 “Perhaps, though, these papers may flatter ‘This Cleveland with morals so high, T'll look at both sides of the matter;” Said I to myself, said 1 | | When, Presto! with n of confusion, 1] As quick as the wink of an eye, Menand morals werechanged. “' ‘Tisillusion,” Said I to myself, said I For Blaine became one among nany, And Cleveland a trickster sly, “T think T must toss up a penny,” self, said T But when I had thought it all over, And we d every wherefore and why “James G, is the man and not Grover,” Said 1 to myself, said 1 JAHUES CLARESCE HARVEY, THE LIGHT OF OTHER DAYS. | Mr. Macklehinny’s mother used to manu- facture her own cundle, which were called, in the days of his boyhood “tallow dips,” and this was precisely the kind of light that was furnished Mr. Macklehinny on the ocea- sion referred to. ° although Mr. M Perhaps the smell of burning tallow re- | Mr. Jouce, Mr. hinny quite di morning. Now it bap) ened that summer hotel h . MACKLEHINNY finds New Yawk so you know, that he has been forced to take a room at a summer hotel, not a thousand miles from the Metropolis. Mr. Mac Kehinn is. swell, and when he ed that a w ung hei ; proceeded to make an impression upon her. Mind the annual “hog-killing period of his | yp", Pou hen a aa not log in gal 4 ion Childhood’s years, when his mother’s sitting | “"" *!acklehinny, then a ong in gaining an introduction ould. be Alled. with, Gandia wicke.| to the fair creature, and when bed-time came | '0™ would be filled with candle wicks, he flattered himself that he had made a inetly. Mr. Macklehinny had and Mr. Jones came so ne: Mansard roof on the fourth floor, and found | * huge pot of hot grease. he was expected to disrobe by the light of D At all events Mr. Macklehinny had a great | a candle his disgust was most intense, aversion to candles and he did ‘not hesitate ' the circumstance. to impress the fact upon his hos | | | Ss Ay ° evr TS } } in the the owner of the had formerly been proprietor of st cheap hash-honse in New York M ehinny did not recognize ones recollected Mr. Mackle- » und nt of fact, ‘many years ago when green and callow youth, first arrived in the city, he ‘put up” which the then youthful Macklehinny was | ft Jones’ Inn, and distinguished himself by equires 7 chee: intervals owing a e ret ge mash, but when he reached his room in the | Teatired to dip at cheerfal intervals into 5 4 a narrow escape, having a coro- ner’s inquest in his house that he never forgot comicbooks.com