Judge — August 4, 1906 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Play the Wheel!" - Judge Magazine, August 4, 1906 This political cartoon satirizes Democratic Party leadership as a gambling operation. A cowboy (labeled "Raided by Gov. Hanly") discovers the "French Lick Springs Democratic Head-Quarters" with Tom Taggart as "Chairman of National Democratic Committee." The cartoon depicts a fortune-telling wheel divided into sections labeled with political figures' names and traits like "Hearst" and "Tammany." A witch-like figure represents the Democratic establishment offering the wheel to the cowboy—essentially portraying Democratic politics as a rigged game of chance rather than legitimate governance. The joke suggests Democratic leadership under Taggart was corrupt and unprincipled, manipulating outcomes through deception rather than genuine political principle. Governor Hanly's raid adds contemporary law-enforcement legitimacy to the critique.