Judge — November 15, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The Judge, November 15, 1884 The main cartoon, titled "Never Say 'Die,'" depicts a destitute figure in a rickshaw viewing a campaign poster for "B. Butler" as president in 1884. The scene satirizes Benjamin Butler's failed presidential campaign that year. The man's signs reading "Never Say Die" and "Try! Try Again!" mock Butler's persistence despite poverty and apparent lack of public support. The "Letter of Acceptance" on the ground reinforces this theme of dogged determination against odds. The header illustration shows the magazine's editor at his desk, a standard feature for Judge magazine during this period. The cartoon critiques Butler's quixotic political ambitions during the contentious 1884 election, using the struggling beggar as a metaphor for his candidacy's hopelessness.