A complete issue · 16 pages · 1885
Judge — July 18, 1885
# Political Cartoon Analysis: "The Judge" (July 18, 1885) This cartoon titled "A Burden to Himself and an Injury to the Country" depicts a massive figure labeled "Silver" crushing laborers and industry. The scene shows closed factories and mills with unemployed workers struggling beneath the weight of the silver burden. The satire addresses the **silver question**—a major 1880s political debate over whether to maintain silver coinage or adopt the gold standard. The cartoon argues that silver currency policy harms working people and businesses, literally crushing economic activity. The laborer's plea—"Uncle Sam, I'm not employed. Let me take a part of your load"—suggests silver advocates were worsening unemployment. This reflects anti-silver arguments that the metal's overvalue was damaging American commerce and labor employment.
# Explanation of Judge Magazine Page This satirical page from Judge magazine contains two main editorial pieces mocking prominent figures of the era. **"A Philological Hercules"** ridicules **Charles A. Dana**, editor of the New York Sun, for presuming to teach other journalists proper English grammar. The piece sarcastically praises his "courage" while suggesting editors are the worst possible students—having had grammar beaten out of them by school, then further damaged by studying Latin and Greek. The joke: Dana, despite his pretensions, publishes in a newspaper (the Sun) itself full of grammatical errors, making him a hypocrite. **"Will Take a Hand in the Game"** attacks **President Cleveland**, arguing that despite claims of non-involvement, he will inevitably meddle in New York politics because his political fortunes depend on Democratic success there. The article sarcastically notes his past "low-down political letter" to Senator Grady proves he's no principled "Spartan" above political scheming. Both pieces use irony and exaggeration to expose what Judge saw as hypocrisy among Democratic-leaning figures.
