Judge — January 14, 1893 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Breaking the Wish-Bone: The Tug-of-War in New York State" This January 1893 *Judge* cartoon satirizes a political dispute in New York State. Two caricatured figures on the left and right pull opposite ends of a wish-bone (a symbol of competing desires), while three smaller figures in the middle appear caught in the struggle. The caption notes "Grover got the small end this time," suggesting President Grover Cleveland received an unfavorable outcome. The cartoon likely depicts factional infighting within New York's Democratic Party or a broader state political conflict during Cleveland's second term. The wish-bone symbolizes how competing politicians or interests are tearing the state apart through their rivalry, with the "Anxious Sect" label visible on the arch suggesting religious or ideological concerns were at stake in this political tug-of-war.