Judge — September 3, 1904 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "The Three R's of Politics" This September 1904 Judge magazine cartoon presents two contrasting political scenarios. **Left panel:** A jubilant figure (likely President Theodore Roosevelt, given the 1904 date and context) sits atop a globe marked "1904," triumphantly holding a shoe aloft with radiating lines suggesting victory. This represents the "Three R's" of Republican politics: **Roosevelt, Republicanism and Re-election** — celebrating Roosevelt's anticipated electoral success. **Right panel:** Shows the opposite fate — a figure upside-down and defeated, representing the Democratic alternative. This depicts the opposing "Three R's": **Resignation, Rejection and Retirement** — the predicted consequences of losing the 1904 election. The cartoon satirizes the stark political binary: Roosevelt's expected triumph versus the Democratic opposition's anticipated humiliation. The contrasting imagery emphasizes the magazine's Republican perspective on the coming election.