Judge, 1900-05-26 · page 1 of 16
Judge — May 26, 1900 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This 1900 *Judge* cartoon satirizes William Jennings Bryan's presidential ambitions. The caricatured figure (labeled Bryan) stands before a door marked "To the White House," blocked by a large word "IF" listed repeatedly with various political conditions. The satire mocks Bryan by suggesting his path to the presidency requires numerous improbable scenarios: if everyone voted for free silver, if Democrats united, if McKinley were defeated, if populist votes materialized, etc. Each conditional represents obstacles Bryan faced. The point: Bryan's election depends on so many unlikely "ifs" that it's practically impossible. The cartoon criticizes both Bryan's viability as a candidate and the fractured state of opposing political forces in 1900, the election year when McKinley (the incumbent Republican) ultimately defeated Bryan again.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOL. 38 NO.971 MAY 26 1900 PRICE 10 CENTS (ae 1900 ey Juose Commer Tike Reorerenee as A TRAt 4 purD & ig tines | meninner WAS OUT ofl i Fe WAY ‘ \F THERE WERE MORE a POPULIST VOTES oo i WF THE SILVER CSUN eran IF 1CouLD = N THE Prope ee OE CleveE tte y \F ANTI-Eyp, SLIME Por gn 31 OF NEW YORK: THAT LITTLE WORD “IF.” Bryan— It is that little word ‘if’ that blocks my way to the white-house.” comicbooks.com