Judge — October 15, 1898 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1898 Judge cartoon depicts two figures labeled by year: one from 1776 (dressed in 18th-century Revolutionary attire) and one from 1830 (in 19th-century formal dress). They hold signs expressing conflicting views on federal union—the earlier figure advocates for strong states ("13 States / Are all we will ever want"), while the later figure argues the union has become too large and unwieldy ("I think the Union is too large, let's cut it in two"). The cartoon satirizes Democratic political divisions regarding federalism and union expansion. It suggests Democratic statesmen held inconsistent or outdated positions on national unity across different historical periods. The artist (credited as "Garlpast" or similar) uses temporal contrast to mock Democratic ideology's evolution or contradiction regarding the proper size and scope of the American federal union.