A complete issue · 16 pages · 1884
Judge — July 12, 1884
# "The Size of the Independent Army" This 1884 *Judge* cartoon satirizes the "Independent Army"—likely referring to independent voters or a splinter political faction during that election year. The caption states this is "the third time they have marched around. There is just about nine of them, not ninety thousand." The joke mocks the group's grandiose self-presentation: tiny figures dressed in military regalia and spiked helmets march around dramatically, suggesting they parade repeatedly with inflated claims about their size and significance. The cartoonist ridicules their actual insignificance—only nine members—versus their apparent aspirations to be a major political force. The satire targets political pretension and exaggeration common to minor parties seeking relevance.
# The Judge Page Analysis This page satirizes the **Independent political party** and its leaders during what appears to be the 1870s. The main cartoon depicts a spiritualist séance where **George William Curtis, Carl Schurz, and George Jones**—Independent Party figures—flip coins to choose their presidential candidate. The satire's punchline: the ghost of **Boss Tweed** (the notorious Tammany Hall Democrat who had recently died) appears to encourage them, suggesting their "reform" efforts actually benefit corrupt Democrats by splitting the Republican vote. The text mocks the Independents' disorganization and questions their moral authority—if even Tweed's ghost supports them, perhaps they're not truly reformist. The satire also hints that Curtis and others may be motivated by personal political ambition rather than genuine principle. This reflects deep skepticism about the 1870s Independent/"Liberal Republican" movement and its claims to pure governance.
