Judge, 1884-11-08 · page 3 of 16
Judge — November 8, 1884 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This *Judge* magazine page satirizes the 1884 presidential campaign, attacking Henry Ward Beecher (a prominent minister) and supporters of Democratic candidate James G. Blaine for spreading false accusations. **The Main Cartoon:** Shows a man (Beecher) carrying a sack labeled "SCANDAL" while another figure (likely representing a Democratic operative) greedily receives it—mocking how anti-Blaine forces spread unsubstantiated stories that backfired. **The Political Context:** The article argues that Beecher's published letter making unproven claims about Blaine damaged the Democratic cause, not Blaine's reputation. *Judge*, a Republican publication, contends that cheap personal attacks betray weakness in substantive policy arguments. **The Satire's Point:** By comparing Beecher to Ananias (biblical liar) and criticizing newspapers like Pulitzer's *World* for promoting falsehoods, the piece defends Republican Blaine against Democratic character assassination while questioning whether voters care more about Free Trade policy than scandal-mongering.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
do injury to him and his political associates, Mr. Beecher proceeded to denou a published letter According to the old-fashioned notion a gentleman, Mr. repeating conve: over the wal and wine,” acted » part. If he invent: | ed the conversation out of whole cloth (and only Mr. Beecher’s word that heard it, while we have Mr. not) he acted the part of a liara him in a continental liar, of what constitutes Beecher, in publishing or even private ation ontempti he *s that hedid nd aseandal The eminent divine may take his we have monger. choice. Indeed, it id in a general way that the various stories—of which the may by above rr le—which have been circulated this campaign to Mr. Bh credit, have recoilea upon the utter vidually, and the Democ collectively. When the best campal ar upon Mr. Blaine’s opponents can make falsehoods, an inherent weak- ness in the cause of the party, and will vote in such silly and casily refute the country will suspect according’ At any rate, the of defamation, whatever it may amount to, has run dry at last, and Mr. ask the country whether stream Blaine steps forward t it desires Free ‘I'rade or Protection—whether it wishes ruin or pros- | perity, its workingmen desire to maintain the rate of wages, or to work for sixty per cent less. whether present The country will answer at the polls to- morrow. THE CHAMPION. for many centuries Ananias has been ded throughout the Christianized world the champion, typical, 1 liar He is no longer facile princeps, however. Thi least half a dozen people beside, before whose eflorescent and agglutinous falsehoods the one poor little lie of Ananias must hide its monumen of the ages. campaign has developed at | dicate the proud positio diminished head in shame. — Ana ware of St. Paul’s miraculous gift in mind reading, thought he was telling a dead safe lie—there was no one, so knew, to contradict him. Mr. Beecher, on the ¢ trary, must have known that Mr. not rest under his longer than ne of Mr. Joy’s bein nias, Un s he Joy would imputation a single hour | though from the fact | broad at the time, the | reverend romancer may not have looked for so prompt a contradiction, Mr. is another gentleman whose part often runs sa Pulitzer an spirit with his veracity, though we are inclined to excuse him from the fact that his World is the only pabulum which can keep Cleveland’s spirits up, and that it is printed primarily for this purpose. Any- one can understand that a newspaper which | recorded facts and truths would not answer | at the present juncture, when Cleveland’s courage, and that of his devoted adherents must be stimulated at any cost. Mr. Schurz, | campal + not without son, A that as the ch than any of his opponen griev Ananias has been so lor is well forwa in better practice But any of the group are far ahead of Ananias, that the for him gracefully to the march of pr garde the rac mpion, perhay who feels to yield cress and ab- time has come of champion liar which he has occupied for centuries. A fashionab coachman, A mesalliance urrying the marrying the hackman, If an Ameri “highly impro about his sins he ident. nh citizen wants to muke it * for his neighbors to talk has only to run for Pres- Th time-honored ' atic country edi- to. be keep the ball movi y would be willing to see a e portion of the campaign funds the purpose of keeping the Ball (Buffalo) quiet. tor used At pre It is report al Butler that he avers with his usual modesty that the ex- | plosion of the powder boat Under the wall t Fisher was a great su ject being to destroy, not the fort, but the | This explanation furnishes a key to | with which the present campaign, The Ame hard on_ private vice but they dislikeanachronisms. they don’t believe the the lower Empire. For instance, United States to be For another instance | they believe it would be too long after the the fair to | ither an Orleans Regency, or an I storation. the ob- | ish-barrel. » aro not especially | sof their public men, } andl lot und some dole ‘mall under der Ree My neighbor has a boy who's his joy— He is not so very old, but ly He beats a little ‘This wretched litte boy, who'smy t they say Byt a rumor circles near that is So they x fre one knows, but it ge dark foretells Where This ram Vn days of obsequies a he'll be So unless he soon is still, th A long strike—twelve by the clock. A weighty a the dealer bill. gument—the dispute between and the consumer over a big coal I sigh fur you,” said the y 1 longingly at a in a shop window. “My bus wen mig woman, I-skin. sacque ness is picking up,” said the he hustled a bustle out of the = as the heard a noise in at three o’clock in the “It’s darkeys before the dawn,” r observed when he his melon-patch morni The Demo been indulging in barbecues latel. evidently want to | fill up enough to stand another four year’s fast. “New York is safe for Cleveland,” says the World. Well, rather. So safe that he won't get out of it, in a Presidential way, during all his little span of life comicbooks.com