Judge — November 12, 1892 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes the futility of municipal elections. The title "Election-Day" is ironic—the imagery shows chaos rather than civic virtue. The main scene depicts a crowded, disorderly mob of voters with exaggerated facial features (typical of 19th-century caricature style). The caption "'Turn the rascals out!'" represents the public's rallying cry for reform, while "'I've had all I want'" suggests voter exhaustion or cynicism. The surrounding vignettes appear to show various election-related scenarios—possibly depicting corruption, vote-buying, or the revolving-door nature of political corruption, where removing one set of corrupt officials simply meant another group took their place. The overall message: city elections were theatrical exercises in futility, offering no real change to the underlying political corruption.