Judge — March 16, 1895 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Political Orphan" — Judge, March 16, 1895 This cartoon satirizes a distressed figure in Washington D.C. (identifiable by the Capitol dome and Lincoln Memorial in background) as a "political orphan." The accompanying verse indicates the figure once had both a "mother's" (presumably Republican) and "father's" (presumably Democratic) political lineage, but has been abandoned by both parties—left orphaned after losing in the "free trade" debate. The dogs and apparent mockery suggest the figure is now without political protection or support, cast aside by both major parties. This likely comments on a politician or political faction marginalized during the contentious tariff/trade debates of the 1890s. The exact identity remains unclear, but the image critiques political abandonment and partisan exclusion.