A complete issue · 16 pages · 1885
Judge — January 31, 1885
# Analysis of "The Judge" Page (January 31, 1895) The main cartoon depicts a bearded man labeled "The Senator from Miss" (Mississippi) performing an acrobatic kick in a legislative chamber. He's juggling what appears to be a "C.S.A." (Confederate States of America) reference, while crowds watch from the gallery. On the right, a glass dome contains a figure labeled Jefferson Davis with text reading "This is not a traitor" and "This is a pure statesman without stain," suggesting ironic commentary on how Davis was being rehabilitated in public memory. The caption states: "Nobody, in my presence, shall call Jefferson Davis a traitor without meeting a stern and decided denial." This satirizes a senator's passionate defense of the Confederate president during Reconstruction-era politics, mocking the effort to restore Davis's reputation after the Civil War.
# Analysis of "Turn the Rascals Out" This editorial cartoon satirizes the 1884 election victory of Democrat Grover Cleveland and running mate Thomas Hendricks over the incumbent Republicans. The piece mocks the naive optimism of reformers (particularly "mugwumps"—Republicans who switched sides seeking purity in government). The satire's central irony: Cleveland campaigned on ending Republican "plundering," yet immediately upon his election, businesses shut down, mills closed, newspapers reported failures, and workers faced hardship. The author sarcastically suggests that while Republicans were corrupt, their 25 years in power at least brought prosperity—comparing it to "seven years of plenty" before famine. The piece particularly attacks Hendricks, who opposed the Union cause during the Civil War, questioning why Republicans who "saved the Union" should yield to Democrats. The "rascals out" refrain invokes the reformist cry, but the economic collapse following the election proves, the author argues, that corrupt competence served the country better than idealistic incompetence. This represents partisan criticism of early reform movements and Democratic governance.
