Judge — May 16, 1885

# "The Judge" Page Analysis: Cleveland's First Sixty Days This page satirizes President Cleveland's early administration (he took office in 1885). The cartoon and text mock what Judge viewed as Cleveland's excessive catering to different factions: **Main targets:** - **The Mugwumps**: reform-minded Republicans who abandoned their party for Cleveland. Judge ridicules them as receiving only token appointments (like "Pearson") while demanding recognition. - **The South**: Cleveland is accused of pardoning Confederate sympathizers and restoring ex-rebels to power—described as giving the defeated South "the vitalizing breath of federal patronage." - **Democratic Party neglect**: Judge notes the actual Democratic party remains unrecognized and unrewarded. The satire's point: Cleveland is juggling incompatible political debts—to reformers, to Southern Democrats, to party loyalists—and failing to satisfy anyone while appearing to accomplish nothing substantive in sixty days. The tone is dismissive: comparing the administration's achievements to a man "in the stocks," suggesting Cleveland has boxed himself in politically.

# "A May Day Dream" — Judge Magazine Political Cartoon This satirical piece targets **Kentucky Democratic politics**, likely from the 1880s (references to Cleveland suggest the 1888 election era). The main illustration depicts a whimsical May Day celebration with fantastical creatures under a smiling sun—a "dream" contrasting sharply with reality. The accompanying commentary uses mathematical symbols as metaphors: Kentucky Democrats expect to "get" something (represented by "0"—zero/nothing), have actually received zero, and hope Cleveland will be reduced to zero. The phrase "Nothing Left to Cipher, then" suggests Democratic political calculations are futile—they're counting on nothing. This reflects Republican criticism of Democratic governance in Kentucky, portraying their political expectations as delusional fantasies with zero actual accomplishment or prospects. The dream-like illustration ironically frames Democratic hopes as disconnected from reality. The page also includes unrelated satirical notes about a husband's divorce complaint regarding his wife's prayer habits.

# Explanation for Modern Readers This page from **Judge** magazine contains satirical commentary on contemporary social and political issues, presented through short editorial quips and illustrations. The main cartoon depicts various character types presenting boastful self-descriptions ("A Buddensieckian Bray")—an architect, a dog, and other figures claiming superiority. The satire mocks pretentious self-promotion and exaggerated claims of importance. The "Off the Bench" section offers brief satirical news items, including mockery of: - Matrimonial brokerages - Spiritualist practices - Labor strikes (referenced via "girls' strike") - Religious hypocrisy (the Mormon polygamist Cannon's legal troubles) - Atheist Robert Ingersoll The longer story, "Good Deeds Pay—Sometimes," is satirical irony: a morality tale circulating in newspapers claims good deeds are rewarded, but when the story is actually tested with three different men performing past kindnesses, none receive reciprocal reward. The final man is actually *charged* for a room he was owed. The satire attacks both naive sentimental journalism and human selfishness.