Judge — December 1, 1888 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes corruption and cheating in games of chance. Two figures—appearing to be working-class men or immigrants (suggested by dialect spelling "foh" for "four")—discuss rigging a turkey raffle. One holds a dead turkey and what appear to be loaded dice or manipulated game pieces. The satire targets: - **Election fraud**: The "raffle" likely references ballot manipulation or rigged elections - **Immigrant political corruption**: The dialect and caricatured features suggest commentary on immigrant voters or political machines - **Urban machine politics**: The casual admission of cheating for years suggests entrenched corruption The joke is the brazen confession—they openly admit to years of systematic fraud ("loaded dice") to secure the prize. This critiques how American political machines allegedly operated through voter manipulation and ballot-rigging during this era.