Judge, 1890-01-04 · page 16 of 16
Judge — January 4, 1890 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical cartoon criticizing **Tammany Hall**, the Democratic political machine that controlled New York City politics. The image depicts Tammany as a ravenous beast—literally a hungry, aggressive creature—menacing respectable citizens and their finances. The dialogue references "Mr. Knickerbocker" (representing old-money New York establishment) expressing fear that Tammany will corrupt or steal deposited money. The cartoon's title, "The Country Knows the Hungry Beast Too Well," suggests Tammany's reputation for corruption and greed was already well-established. This reflects late 19th-century reformist sentiment against Tammany's notorious patronage system and financial malfeasance. The beast metaphor emphasizes how contemporaries viewed the organization as dangerous and predatory toward public funds and honest citizens.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
E 5 9 n x ° fo) 2 2 E 5 cs) THE COUNTRY KNOWS THE HUNGRY BEAST TOO WELL. Cotumpta—“Mr. Knickerbocker, the truth is I hesitate to trust my money to the keeping of that Tammany brute behind you!”