Judge, 1884-10-25 · page 5 of 16
Judge — October 25, 1884 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge cartoon satirizes the 1884 presidential election, depicting two figures in a boat labeled "Public Opinion" plunging over rapids labeled "The North." The "skipper" appears to be a political operative blindly fixated on one goal: defeating James G. Blaine, the Republican presidential candidate. The satire targets Democratic single-mindedness—the cartoon suggests that in their obsession with beating Blaine, Democratic leaders ignore broader political consequences and public welfare (represented by the dangerous rapids). References to Cleveland, Hancock, and The Sun indicate this reflects the contentious 1884 campaign. The accompanying poems and miscellaneous pieces are typical Judge filler content. The cartoon's central argument: partisan tunnel vision causes reckless political navigation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SHOOTING THE POLITICAL RAPIDS. ‘The skipper who is blind to everythir pt the one idea to beat A Mistake. Twas passing by the door an call, ht ur, endeavor All restr to sever, And c h one so clever, And so bright T recall it now,and swear With a D. How I questioned who the fair Maid When, believe it Twas a sc And as I'ma It was ou Jaye CLARENCE HARVEY. THE JUDGE. the aud nany buried her dey weeks a The funeral Some hatchet. dull affair. future, that Cleveland made the ro, surpass the Hancock sword in bearing fame aw Certain Democ thonght they knew all | down on that luminary | theories, nd-whiskev a If human) the valley of the Wabash, think thquake is poor shakes in com- Second C: “Rva Fi “« Where “Tna lio. Blaine. Monographs WANTED AND UNWANTED, And now thou I vith me— When my T want to, st ¢ uy young days are forever past— but cannot send thee away Mf mine be misled, my all, O shinin: s. it would cost me great pain to part The ccal days are at hand. » girl of the period be compared to a loud-toned bell? play"—the motto of the no pounder. d that the tobacco crop this i 0,000,000 pounds. This, like most rumors, will doubtless end in smoke. comicbooks.com