Judge — September 8, 1888 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This **Judge** magazine cartoon satirizes President Grover Cleveland attempting a "desperate remedy." The image shows Cleveland (identifiable by period caricature style) with military/governmental figures near a covered wagon, seemingly trying to revive or dispose of a dead donkey. The donkey likely represents the Democratic Party or a failed policy initiative. The "desperate remedy" appears to be Cleveland's attempted solution to some political crisis—possibly relating to the economic depression or labor unrest of his presidency. The cartoon's humor derives from the futility of the situation: one cannot revive a dead animal through desperate measures, suggesting Cleveland's policies were equally doomed. The military figures present may reference government intervention in labor disputes or other controversial actions from his administration.