Judge — February 10, 1906 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes the statehood application process for Arizona Territory. The donkey—a traditional symbol of the Democratic Party—stands before a Congressional door marked "CONGRESS," wearing packs and appearing exhausted. A sign reading "APPLY HERE FOR STATEHOOD, BEVERDIGE C." references Senator Albert J. Beveridge, who chaired the Senate Committee on Territories and controlled statehood decisions. The joke: Arizona's statehood petition has traveled the long, difficult journey from Arizona to Congress, only to encounter bureaucratic obstacles. The empty chamber suggests Congress ignores the request, while the worn donkey symbolizes the tiresome, endless process. Arizona would not achieve statehood until 1912—six years after this publication.