Judge, 1889-04-06 · page 1 of 17
Judge — April 6, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1889 Judge magazine cartoon uses the proverb about breaking a camel's back to critique President Benjamin Harrison's administration. A figure identified as "Harrison" (left, with beard and spear) stands beside an overburdened camel labeled with various "Office Seekers" demands. The camel carries bags labeled with bureaucratic burdens, while office-seekers pile additional weight on top. The satire mocks Harrison's inability to manage the overwhelming demands from political appointees seeking government positions—the "straws" that threaten to collapse his presidency under patronage pressures. The artist (signed "Victor") suggests Harrison cannot make progress on substantive public business while drowning in patronage obligations, a common complaint about Gilded Age politics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A, VOL.1S5 NO.390 APRIL6 1889. PRICE 10 CENTS. id Copynionr 1889 By THe JuooE PuBLisHiNo Co... | ENTERCO AT THE Post Orrice AT NEW YORK AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER, THE STRAWS THAT BREAK THE CAMEL'S BACK. Huaratwox—‘I can make no progress with Public Business until I get rid of that load of Straw.” comicbooks.com