Judge, 1900-10-20 · page 20 of 26
Judge — October 20, 1900 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the rural Populist movement through letters from "Hiram Pennick," a fictional Illinois farmer. The satire targets Populist political activism and rhetoric during the 1900 election. **Key figures/references:** - John Bird Fitler: appears to be a real Populist speaker whose passionate oratory is mocked—asylum keepers must remove him mid-speech, yet his flowery anti-expansion/anti-trust arguments are portrayed as emotionally manipulative rather than substantive - Bryan: mentioned as a comparison point (likely William Jennings Bryan, three-time Democratic/Populist presidential candidate) - Lem Hodges: an aged Populist veteran campaigning since 1856 **The satire's point:** Rural Populists are depicted as unsophisticated but earnest—good-hearted farmers mobilized by emotional speeches about railroad regulation and government ownership. The humor comes from phonetic spelling and malapropisms suggesting rural ignorance, while acknowledging genuine popular grievances about railroad monopolies and corporate power. Judge presents Populism as a genuine grassroots movement, but one driven by passion over intellect.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AM PENNICK’ ld May , vp a THE POPULIST CAMPAINER: is EIGHTH leecer HOD TRIVETT PIRES A SALUTE, Branchburg, Ill. Oct. 3, 1900. DEER JUDG — Well thers just 3 more weeks of the campain. i haint got time fer to get over in Ioway as i calc- lated. Am figrin on reechin my son Steves bout 2 days fore lectshun. Steve lives at Brod- hed Wis. runs a grocry there doin well too. ile lev the hors with Steve, he needs a hors fer delivry, an take the cars back to Davis Junction fer to vote, When the per- cesshun marchd into Green- ridg there yesterday peerd like the hull town wus out to look on. Hod Trivett leedin pop- ulist citzen fired 3 welcum slutes frum a old army musket when he seed us cumin up the street. Big meetin in cort hous square. Trivett’s daugter Hattie giv me a bokay of pineys makin a purty bow an sum complementin wurds. After the meetin i hed a talk with Uncle Bill Gapen on the outlook he seys the hull Populist tiket wil! go thru a hopin. Bill wus Postmaster here in 84 Hes a leedin stock buyer, ships hogs to Chicago. He seys thers a grate uprisin agin the rale roads all over the country. He seys frum what he kin heer mong peeple hes talked with, goument ownin rale roads is the big question, Heel bet a dougnut he seys thet fore anuther 3 yers the govment will own evry rale road an ship hogs free. Moren that he seys he wont be suprised if drect vote of the hull peeple will lect their conducters, brakemen, sectshun-bosses an A grate stump specker joind the perces- shun Monday. The way it wuz i seen him makin a speech to sum fellers in a grove just other side of Plainview. i drew up long side of fence an ast him if he culd speek agin Ex- panshun an Trusts. He sed them wus just Yy eh, 4 PO yy “ef PM gy yt DYN ty "0 Ley YM My D } ye Ny Wa yy his fort. i told him we ort to have more speekers an he sed hed like nothin bet- ter then join in the ranks. Sed his name wus John Bird Fitler. Wellsir while he wus speekin in the opri hous It night a feller cums rushin in who sed | hes keeper of the Plait view asylum an leeds Fi ler out. Evrybody sed theys sorry the feller wuldent let him git thru speekin. He wus makin the best argiment agin expanshun i ever herd. Ezra _ Briggs man herd Bryan onct an he sed Fitler hed the same way of yellin out flowry wurds sos you just feel like youd got to git upan shout fer suthin but you dont know what an dont keer. ' chair- UNCLE BILL GAPEN, WHO KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE RAIL- ROAD QUESTION. Lem Hodges spoke on the greenback question. Hodges stumpt the state fer Fremont back in 56. Yurs truly HIRAM PENNICK, THE PENNICK PROCESSION ON ITS WAY TO GREENRIDGE. My % 7 "y on WU Zp) ia OX rAQ_ % ‘ comicbooks.com