Judge — August 19, 1893 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes the economic consequences of Republican versus Democratic administrations. The skeletal figure represents the U.S. economy or working class under each regime. **Left side ("Under Republican Rule"):** Lists positive outcomes—manufacturing prosperity, new factories, thriving industries, full-time work, abundant clothing and food. **Right side ("Under Democratic Administration"):** Catalogs disasters—wage cuts, business failures, bank closures, halted construction, unemployed mechanics, scarce goods. The caption "He Killed the Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs" suggests the (unnamed) Democratic administration destroyed economic prosperity that Republicans had built. **Context:** This reflects the economic Panic of 1893, which occurred early in President Grover Cleveland's second term. Republicans blamed Democratic policies; this cartoon makes that partisan argument visually.