Judge, 1897-10-16 · page 1 of 16
Judge — October 16, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Context: "The Sham War-Scare" This October 1897 *Judge* cartoon satirizes Republican William McKinley's foreign policy regarding Spain. The grotesque figure labeled "I WANT WAR WITH SPAIN (NIT!)" represents the manufactured threat of Spanish conflict—depicted as a scare tactic. The caption quotes McKinley dismissing the war prospect as "only a political dodge to help my friend Mark Hanna to the United States senate." Hanna was McKinley's political ally and campaign manager. The cartoon criticizes the administration for exploiting war anxiety for domestic political gain. The scattered papers and frantic imagery suggest manufactured panic. This predates the actual Spanish-American War by several months, showing contemporary skepticism about whether conflict was genuine or politically motivated.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOL. 33 NO. 835 OCTOBER 16 1897 PRICE 10 CENTS A. ¥ SQ ROX SE SAW TARO — Common 1697, 87 THE JUDGE PUBLISH! rv OF new YORK 1OMT 1897, 8Y THE JUDGE PUBLISHING COMPARY OF EW YO! Secketts Witbelms Lahe Pig Co. New York THE SHAM WAR-SCARE., McKintey (fo dusiness-man)—“1 am sorry to frighten you so, but this is only a political dodge to help my friend Mark Hanna to the United States senate.” B a ie f comicbooks.com