A complete issue · 16 pages · 1882
Judge — March 4, 1882
# "The Star Routers' Ascent" This political cartoon from March 1882 satirizes the "Star Route" scandal—a major corruption case involving fraudulent mail contracts. The cartoon depicts two figures (labeled "TWINS") climbing upward toward "JUSTICE" while juggling incriminating documents labeled "STAR ROUTE FRAUD." The judge presiding above represents the judicial system finally holding wrongdoers accountable. The title's ironic phrase "slowly but surely approaching justice" suggests the prosecution was moving at a frustratingly glacial pace, mocking how long it took to bring the corrupt contractors to account. The Star Route frauds involved inflated mail-delivery contracts under the Hayes administration—a prominent scandal of the early 1880s. Judge magazine used the cartoon to criticize both the delay in prosecuting the scheme and the audacity of the perpetrators.
# The Judge Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Judge* magazine contains three distinct satirical pieces: **1. Mormon Polygamy Editorial** ("Questions of the Day"): The opening attacks Utah's polygamous Mormons, calling for their disenfranchisement as a moral reform. This reflects late-19th-century anti-Mormon sentiment and federal efforts to suppress polygamy in U.S. territories. **2. The Peruvian Company Scandal**: The piece mocks Jacob R. Shipherd, who claimed prominent supporters (including General Grant and senators) for a scheme to annex Chile and Peru to the United States. When these figures publicly disowned him, Shipherd was left isolated—satirized as a "Colonel Sellers" (a fictional con artist). This exposes political scheming and fraudulent claims of influence. **3. Police Court Justice**: The final section criticizes New York magistrate Justice Smith for sentencing a young woman to Blackwell's Island for cross-dressing to earn a living—depicting judicial overreach and moral rigidity as absurd. The cartoon (illustration at top) appears to be the magazine's masthead or decorative element.
# Analysis of "The Judge" Page This page from the satirical magazine *Judge* contains multiple short humor pieces rather than a single cartoon. The main illustration shows a cityscape (labeled "THE LAST MILE"), likely referencing execution or urban life. The humor pieces mock various social absurdities: drunk men's philosophical musings ("Topers' Thoughts"), a man's pratfall on ice, Senator Pendleton's political ambitions, and contemporary fads (tight pants). Several items satirize common American hypocrisies—the peppermint industry's growth despite America's reputation for excessive talk, and the shift from biblical hospitality (killing the fatted calf) to commercial exploitation (turning animals into "vaccine farms"). References to Besant and Rice's serial novel and Potter's building suggest topical allusions readers of the era would recognize. The tone is lighthearted social commentary typical of *Judge*'s approach: mocking pretension, hypocrisy, and modern trends through brief, witty observations rather than pointed political attack.
