Judge, 1894-10-27 · page 16 of 16
Judge — October 27, 1894 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes David B. Hill (likely "Little Dave"), a prominent New York Democratic politician, attempting an impossible task. The image shows Hill as a tiny figure trying to hold back a massive tidal wave labeled with Democratic losses and electoral defeats threatening to sweep away Democratic control of key swing states, Congress, and the presidency in upcoming elections. The satire mocks Hill's powerlessness against larger political forces—specifically a Republican surge. The "hopeless task" reference underscores the futility of his efforts to stem what appears to be an inevitable Democratic electoral collapse. The cartoon uses the wave metaphor to visualize overwhelming political momentum that no single figure can resist. This reflects October 1890 political anxiety about Democratic prospects.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
E ie) 9 n x ° fo) 2 2 E ie) cs) LITTLE DAVE’S HOPELESS TASK. “In New York HILL stands to stem the tide threatening to sweep away from the Democrats: the control of every debatable State which votes this fall, and the Congress and the Presidency two years later."—New York Sun, October roth.