Judge, 1900-09-15 · page 10 of 16
Judge — September 15, 1900 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1900 *Judge* page satirizes American Populism through letters from "Hiram Pennick," a rural Populist campaigner. The main cartoon mocks Populist political organizing: Pennick claims votes are "gainin'" and promises to speak against Republican Mark Hanna's administration, yet the illustration shows a distinguished New York businessman following him into town—suggesting that even wealthy elites are abandoning the Republican Party for Populism. The smaller cartoons provide supporting jokes: "A Lie Somewhere" depicts two Jewish characters debating a poster's contradictions, implying Populist rhetoric is inherently dishonest. "His Abrupt Demise" makes an Irish joke about sudden death. The satire targets Populism's appeal across class lines and questions its credibility, while Pennick's rustically-spelled letters and boasts about band music and corn dinners use rural dialect to portray Populists as unsophisticated. The magazine clearly opposed Populism's challenge to Republican dominance in 1900.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
te ASSES tl My bl His third leteer TAKES DINNER WITH DAVE DRAKE. Sun Prarie, Ind. Aug. 19, 1900. Deer JuDG — Well, I got yur paper, and see yur runnin’ my letters. The artist feller that draws the fotygrafts tries to make me out komical. Well, I kin take a joke wells the next feller, but seems to me if you'd just stik to plane fax ‘thout pokin fun, it'd help more for to carry the country. Sum folks will laff on the other side of their face when they see the landslide fer Populism, specially the rowdiz that cut up at meetins. Well, the editor of the Grove /éem putt in the band out, and leadin citzens in the perceshun. Dave Drake, justic of the peac, tuk me to his house fer dinner, where I had sum of the best sweet corn I ever eat. Lish Walker, hed of the band, heerd I was writin fer a N. Y. paper, and said if I felt Icud, he'd like fer to have me write a little suthin complement of their playin. While I haint up in musik, I kin say that I never herd better play- . in. If you fellers in New York want sum rousin musik fer yer biz Populist percesh- uns, or ice cream soshables, it'd pay you to write to Lish Walker, an git terms. They went to Cleveland 3. years go. fer Nekoration Day, an Bet Cs. pegs and R. R. tike ets. Votes are gainin. One feller, who said he was a leadin citzen of yur city four years ago, and cud sign his name fer a million in Wall Street, follered me in from out near Blunt's Corners; hes been lookin fer work, and A LIE SOMEWHERE. Jaconstein —"* Dot feller ‘s a fakir !” Dot feller s a liar! Look at der top line und der bottom Conex \ ad van! Dere’s a lie somevere.” j card Dane. Ln, wre Sa A DISTINGUISHED NEW YORK CITIZEN FOLLOWS HIM INTO TOWN. says this here talk “bout pros- perity is all humbug. If there is any, he hain’t seen it. T had the /tem editor print off sum bills as follers: which I send to the Post- master to hang up :— Noti ‘Hiram Pennick, Populist, will be in yur town soon, speakin on the campain, and denouncin the way Mark Hanner and his party is car- ryin’ on. Those who stick up fer Populism, and those who don’t, is invited to the Pub- lic meetin, but no rowdiz. Yurs truly, HIRAM PENNICK. Mrs, MeLubbert MeLubberty —* mar-r-rnin’ stone dead. HIS ABRUPT DEMISE. —" Poor Duffy's death was moighty sudden, wasn’t ut?” He wint to bed well, an’ got up in the Witure Froc —* Come on, fellows, hurry up; Jimmie's getting a licking !” comicbooksicom