Judge, 1892-04-16 · page 7 of 20
Judge — April 16, 1892 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Irish-American immigration and politics circa the 1880s-90s. **"The Original Poem"** mocks sentimental Irish-immigrant verse through exaggerated dialect humor—deliberately misspelling English words ("shmile," "vorldt," "dhey") to ridicule Irish accents. The poem itself is genuine sappy sentiment, but the presentation is comedic mockery. **The cartoons below** target Irish-American political culture. "No Relief-Fund Then" jokes about Irish flood victims unable to organize relief because "there ain't any place where we can start a relief-fund"—likely referencing either political disorganization or Irish saloons being the only gathering spaces. **"The Balance of Power"** depicts Irish-American voters ("gintlemen," "Mike Clancy") as politically manipulated masses, depicted as crude and easily led, discussing "home-rule" (Irish independence) while seemingly disconnected from actual civic responsibility. The overall message: Irish immigrants are portrayed as dialect-speaking, politically unreliable, and culturally backward—typical nativist satire of the era targeting Catholic immigrants.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE THE ORIGINAL POEM. ‘There has been much dispute over the following poem, 'a gushing poet of the heart and an unknown Eolonel of Kentucky claiming i At lst we have the Original verses, written by Baumgartoer G. Hakluyt of Gardneravilicr Nu ¥. We also present his picture, taken at Richfield Springs last summer. Eo. HMILE undt dher vorldt shmiles mit you, Laugh undt dher vorldt vhill roar ; Howl undt diier vorldt vhill leafe you Undt nefer come pack any more. For all of us couldn’t peen handsome, Nor all of us hafe goot clothes ; Bat a shmile vhas not oxpensive Unde cofers a vorldt of woes. Scowl undt dher vorldt scowls at you, Veep undt dher vorldt vill leafe you, Grin undt dhey takes your handt; _Groan undt it makes dhem tired ; Sing undt dhey strikes dher chorus" Growl undt dher shances are even Undt closely aroundt you shtand. You pooty soon findt yourself fired. Dough all of us couldn't peen singers Dhis vorldt vhe couldn't build besser Mit underfeed undt lockstitch, Dough Ingersoll tried his handt ; Vhe-can all of us pe good-looking’ Berhaps he vouldt fail on dher gontract Dough few of us aim to perich. Cartin’ dher rocks undt sandt. Vink undt dher vorldt vinks at you, Bud put your thumb on yqurmose, Den shances to nine bud dhey slug you Undt muss up your best suit of clothes. Shmile undt dher folks shmile mit you— Dot is, vhen you dakes a shmile, Deir mout’s vhas open alretty Unde vhaitin’ dere alle wile. AT. woxDen EXPLANATION. ‘—"* Your husband scems to be very anxious to go over to freland,” Yes, and I don’t understand why.” ‘erhaps it is because there are no snakes there.” _{cranc) RALLY THE BALANCE OF POWER. “Gintlemen and felley-citizens, we are here to-noight to consider the great question av home-rule. Are we to be slaves to poverty; are we to be taxed fer every dhrop of phawter we drink ; are we to vote for Mike Clancy— NO RELIEF-FUND THEN, Noatt—"* Shem, my boy, I'm broken-hearted.” Siem —'* What's the matter, dad?” Noatt—"' There ain’t any place where we can start a relief-fund for us flood-sufferers.”” SENTENCES PASSED BY THE JUDGE. RETALIATION never works a cure. Fact has placed the superlative in the last de- gree, yet the tendencies of human nature for exag- geration are such that it masquerades in the first. Though morality in the aggregate is subject to various and many degrees of comparison, the qual- ity of morals must remain at a fixed and positive degree. That hands left idle should follow their own devices is inevitable; yet.when they chance to busy themselves about matters which the law is ready to condemn but slow to displace, ignorance wonders. The more intimate the union of parts the greater the horror of division. No war between nations can be so repellant as a civil war; and the excess horrors of a civil war are derived from the horrors of divided households. Yet a divided house isa serene encampment compared with the struggles of a mind divided against itself. xarnene crosjean. —We are, gintlemen—there’s no betther man in this county.” comicbooks.com