Judge — June 1, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Democratic Decoration This cartoon from Judge (June 1, 1889) satirizes Democratic Party leadership through military imagery. The caption reads "Only a little English grave, / But oh! so dear to them." The illustration shows what appear to be Democratic leaders in ornate military dress uniforms standing over a grave marked "Democratic / Free Trade" with a "Barring" (tariff barrier) symbol. The elaborate uniforms and formal poses mock the party's pretension, while the grave suggests the Democrats consider protective tariffs—a key Republican policy—as something they've defeated or buried. The satire critiques Democrats for celebrating what Republicans viewed as economically harmful policies. The "English grave" reference appears to mock the Democrats' alignment with free-trade ideology associated with British economics, which opponents saw as detrimental to American industry.