A complete issue · 16 pages · 1884
Judge — July 5, 1884
# "The Republican Pharisees" — The Judge, July 5, 1884 This cartoon satirizes Republican hypocrisy during the 1884 presidential election. The title references Biblical Pharisees—hypocrites who publicly performed virtue while lacking moral substance. The three figures in robes appear to represent Republican leaders or party members engaged in self-righteous posturing, with the caption "Thank God we are not like other men" (a direct Biblical quote from Luke 18:11, spoken by a boastful Pharisee). The satire suggests Republicans were publicly proclaiming moral superiority while, in the Judge's view, behaving hypocritically. This likely critiques Republican attacks on Democratic candidate James Blaine regarding personal scandals, while ignoring similar failings within their own party. The cartoon uses religious imagery to expose perceived moral pretense as the central political weapon of the moment.
# Explaining "The Judge" Page to Modern Readers This page from Judge magazine (circa 1884) attacks **George William Curtis**, a prominent Republican editor and political reformer, for his conduct during the recent Republican National Convention in Chicago. The satire centers on Curtis's attempt to block **James G. Blaine's** presidential nomination. After failing, Curtis allegedly formed a splinter committee with Carl Schurz and others to either "beat Blaine" or potentially support the Democratic candidate instead—the exact plan remaining vague. Judge's **"Squealing"** editorial mocks Curtis for acting like a sore loser. In sporting slang of the era, "squealing" meant whining about defeat—considered deeply unmanly. The magazine argues Curtis demonstrated bad faith by refusing to accept majority rule at a party convention, then threatening to fracture Republican unity. The underlying point: Curtis is hypocritically abandoning Republican principles and loyalty simply because his preferred candidate lost. Judge frames this as petulant, arrogant behavior unworthy of a serious political figure.
