A complete issue · 16 pages · 1884
Judge — July 19, 1884
# "Open for Trade" - Judge Magazine, July 19, 1884 This political cartoon satirizes vote-buying and electoral corruption during the 1884 U.S. presidential election. The large figure on the left, labeled "Tammany," represents Tammany Hall, the notoriously corrupt Democratic political machine that controlled New York City politics. The cartoon depicts Tammany operatives literally selling votes—signs advertise "Tammany Voters for Sale or Exchange" and "Assortment of Back-Action Repeaters Very Low." This references "repeaters," individuals who voted multiple times illegally. The signs mockingly display prices like goods in a shop, titled "Open for Trade." The scene illustrates how Tammany Hall engaged in systematic electoral fraud and vote trafficking, treating voters as commodities to be bought and sold rather than citizens exercising democratic rights. It's a scathing critique of urban political corruption.
# The Judge, Page 2: Political Satire from the 1884 Election The main cartoon (top left) depicts a grotesque caricature—likely representing Democratic opposition figures—as a scheming rat. The accompanying article "The Irish Vote" argues that Irish-American voters, traditionally Democratic, will defect to Republican James G. Blaine in the upcoming election. Judge claims the Irish World newspaper supports this shift, and that Democrats lack any candidate who could hold both Irish and Southern voters simultaneously. The piece mockingly addresses Democratic critics (Curtis and Jones), suggesting they'll be irrelevant once Irish voters abandon the party. The remaining articles are lighter satire: Henry Ward Beecher's objection to cremation on aesthetic grounds is ridiculed as illogical; a piece on monopolies criticizes Standard Oil and other corporate giants; and commentary on "Tattoo versus Tattoo" discusses campaign ephemera. This reflects Judge's Republican editorial stance during the contentious 1884 presidential race.
