Judge, 1890-05-03 · page 9 of 16
Judge — May 3, 1890 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This political cartoon satirizes a feud between Democratic figures, likely from the 1880s-90s. The image depicts two animals (appearing to be a rhinoceros and a goat or similar creature) fighting or confronting each other in a barnyard setting—a visual metaphor for infighting within the Democratic Party. The caption attributes vicious insults to Grover Cleveland (the sitting president), calling someone named Dana "a senile old liar and thief" and questioning his mental fitness ("dotage," "paresis"—a disease affecting cognition). "Dana" likely refers to Charles A. Dana, editor of the New York Sun, a political opponent. The "menagerie" title and animal depiction mock Democratic leaders as behaving like barnyard beasts rather than statesmen. The cartoon criticizes the party's internal discord and Cleveland's undignified public attacks on critics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
was ce aay = Sackett a Widhelms Litho Co Rew York TIC MENAGERIE. “That senile old liar and thief, Dana, has been at it again.—He places himself on the level of the blackguard.—There is no language strong enough to characterize the conduct h a man.—If Dan: not in his dotage his senile ravings would attract more attention, * * A man who has paresis."—Grover CLEVE New York Wort, comicbooks.com