Judge, 1889-02-09 · page 3 of 16
Judge — February 9, 1889 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page (Page 283) This page contains political satire from the late 19th century, likely the 1880s-90s based on references to Bismarck, William (Kaiser Wilhelm), and civil service reform debates. **Top cartoon** mocks a dinner guest (Taber) who is awkwardly standing. The joke: he's become so accustomed to "free-lunch routes" (cheap establishments offering complimentary meals) that he expects buffet-style service rather than formal table dining—satirizing either political corruption or working-class pretension. **Lower cartoon** ("His First Visit") shows a couple arriving early to secure front-row seats, with the husband noting these seats are always taken first—a gentle social observation about theater attendance habits. **Editorial commentary** criticizes voter qualification standards, arguing universal male suffrage allows uneducated and unqualified voters (including immigrants and formerly enslaved people) equal political power as the wise. It advocates literacy/intelligence testing for voters—a racist, classist position common in Gilded Age publications. References to Bismarck, Stanley (explorer), and civil service reform place this during heated debates over government appointments and international tensions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Crosstev—'* 1 wonder what makes Taber so awkward. Bapcer—"*"Sh-sh ! In Indiana during the late campaign a speaker, who is confidently THE jonal_ nomination am a Democrat. looking forward to a congr credulous constituents, “ for reform and retrenchment. You all know what reform is. form. You know what retrench- ment is, If it hadn’t been for re- trenchment what would your farms be worth to-day? Soggy, sour and wet, swampy,and nocrops. Trench- ment and retrenchment has saved us, and these fields of corn, and meadows, and wheat, were made by retrenchment and ditching. The Republican party is ag'in retrench- ment, and Iam ag’in the Republi- can party.” These statements are absolutely true, and neither farcical norexaggerated. Does it not look as if manhood suffrage was something of adoubtful gift? Intelligence is required in all the lines of life pro- portioned to the labor, the crudest work needing the least and the highest the best. Yet the most im- portant act of citizenship is neither qualitied nor restricted. Men who cannot speak or even fairly under- stand the national tongue, men who will sell their franchise for a song, the stupid white as well as the southern negro, steeped in supersti- tion, and incapable of a conception of responsibility, weigh as much as the wisest in the political bal- ance. The first step in civil service should be an examination of the voter. Let us begin at the bottom, and with an intelligent, or fairly in telligent foundation, the stability of the political superstructure is as- sured, ik It is re- * THE BITTERNESS OF IT. Why doesn’t he come and sit down 2” He's been working the free-lunch routes so long that he expects the butler to serve his soup on the buffet.” id to his admiring and ‘That means that I am HIS FIRST VISIT. Mr. Moquin—' It’s durmed lucky we came early, Jane. front seats is always th’ fust ones that’s picked out These UNCERTAINTY of the intentions of Bismarck and William make it necessary that Field-marshal Murat Halstead s stop the impending war before it becomes necessary to kill somebody. all goto Berlin and ELECTIONS for the cabinet are carried for the present only inthe head within his grandfather's hat. A SUSPICION prevailsthat Henry M. Stanley loses himself at times by way of a little injudicious advertising. IF BISMARCK wants a fight with this country the dence that he has lost t head and is not averse to losing his government along with it, ASPREW CARN embraces this republic a You let up on that, Andrew! you must do it, go to HMlinois and make the: business legal and reputable. ATION of this y has been increasing rs; but we large enough to secure a jury trial in every instance. “THEDE AULTER of this period is aman who was never sus- pected of such wickedness, There was so much confidence ny that 1 " his books were never lool No. He is a hold-over from a remote period, and he illustrates the foolish- ness of the civil-service law. Let the remaining good men long in office pray earnestly to be delivered from temptation, comicbooks.com