Judge — April 19, 1890 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon depicts a large elephant—the Republican Party symbol—actively obstructing "Ballot Reform" progress. The elephant appears to be deliberately blocking or trampling efforts toward voting reform, while smaller human figures (likely representing reform advocates) struggle against it. The cartoon criticizes Republican opposition to ballot reform measures, suggesting the party was using its political power to prevent democratic voting improvements. The exaggerated, dominating elephant visually emphasizes the GOP's obstruction as forceful and difficult to overcome. Without a visible date, the specific reform context remains unclear, though ballot reform was a recurring progressive-era issue. The satire's point: Republicans were portrayed as anti-democratic obstructionists preventing legitimate electoral improvements.