Judge, 1892-06-25 · page 18 of 18
Judge — June 25, 1892 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon uses the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" as political allegory for the 1884 election crisis. "Humpty Dumpty" represents a political figure or faction that has fallen from power. The caption indicates that neither the "Mugwump forces" (Republicans who bolted their party over reform issues) nor the "Spoilsmen" (Democrats favoring patronage) can restore this figure to prominence. The satire mocks the fractured state of American politics in 1884, when the Republican party split between reformers (Mugwumps) and traditionalists over civil service reform and political corruption. The cartoon suggests that no combination of these competing factions can reassemble their broken political order—the damage is irreparable.
📄 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 = 5 ° 1884. Humery Dusty sat on A WALL. Humrry DUMPTY BAD A GRRAT FALL. ALL THE MUGWUMP FORCES AND ALL THE SPoILs MEN HUMPTY DUMPTY. Cannot PUT HUMPTY UP THERE AGAIN