Judge — September 8, 1900 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a political cartoon satirizing Democratic politicians as worshippers of a false idol. The central figure is a grotesque demon or dark deity, emerging from stacked books labeled "Free Silver" and "National Credit," surrounded by various financial/economic symbols (wages, debt). The caption identifies them as "Democratic Boxers who worship and fight for a false god," suggesting Democrats are blindly devoted to economically destructive policies—likely referencing the Free Silver debate of the 1890s, when Democrats championed unlimited silver coinage despite warnings it would harm national finances. The cartoon's tone is deeply mocking: Democratic leaders are depicted as superstitious worshippers of ruinous economic ideology rather than rational policymakers. The demon imagery emphasizes the cartoonist's view that Free Silver was inherently evil and seductive to Democratic voters.