Judge — December 15, 1894 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: "The Graveyard Congress" This December 1894 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the Democratic Party's congressional leadership as spiritually "dead." The title "The Graveyard Congress" and subtitle "An ante-mortem session" establish the metaphor: the scene depicts a séance or spiritualist gathering among tombstones labeled with Democratic names including W.D. Bynum, J. Ceary, Dan Voorhees, and Matt C. Butler. The figure on left appears to be conducting a séance (holding what looks like a telephone or mystical device), while the bald figure in center sits contemplatively. The graveyard setting with model buildings suggests the Democratic Party's political position has become lifeless or defunct. This reflects the party's weakened state following electoral defeats in the early 1890s.