River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-02-21

Equally shameful ana shameless were
the pictorial assaults made upon Grover
Cleveland at the same time. benjamin
Harrison. an honorable Christian gen.
tleman. was subject to contumely; and
even now, when political cartoons are
made, Mr. Harrison appears as a very
small man with 'grandfather's hat"
almost covering his entire body
The makers of these pictures care
nothing for the feelings of their vic
Tins, nor of their wives and children.
Il few strokes of the pen or pencil will
portray a man in some ridiculous atti-
tude, and then the face is added, with
grotcsque conditions, and the picture is
ready for publication. The artist is
paid for the picture, or paid by the
week to do such work, and he never
wastes any sympathy upon the object
of his assaults. lie has no heart, or
else has hidden it away from contact or
Communication with his conscience.
He works much as space writer works
on a metropolitan daily paper 1t is
his method of earning living. and he
never lilSens himself unto graverob-
Der or a Malta assassin. Certainly not,
for he is an artist" a man of genius,
and his employers applaud his efforts
Il have ceased to pay any attention
to caricatures of myself, says Speaker
Crisp. Il used to be very sensitive. and
sometimes angry with the liberties of
buffoonry, but that vas some time ago
A public man must lecome accustomed
to the bitter as well as the sweet of
prominent positions in the political
world"
Il never notice cartoons rejecting
upon myself says ex-Speakcr Reed.
1.-THE fellows who make them have no
malice. They are doing that class of
work for a livelihood. The best car
toonis.s on earth would work for Puck
or Judge. Unfortunately for the big
gest pay. Some of them do very effcc-
tive work in political campaigns. They
place lessons before the people much
more plainly than editorial writer's or
orators could do it. No, they have no
personal malice in their work. and they
are sometimes instructive as well as
amusing"
When Mr.. Reed was ruling the house
of representatives and earning the title
of ear" Thomas Mast illustrated
weil-written article concerning the situ-
alton with cartoon of Mr. Reed stand
ing like tremendous giant, with big
gavel in his hand, his head nearly
touching the rafters, while down at his
feet was a little desk and very little
chair, while underneath the whole
were the printed words: ''lIe rises to
the occasion"
They have never abused me-" says
Senator Quay, ''as badly as they abused
Ben Butler during his lifetime. AS
long as can find consolation in that
comparison, | shall not complain"
Il am, as You know" says Congress
man Wilson. of West Virginia, 1.-The
author of the Wilson bill, very sensi-
tive and retiring IN my disposition. /
could not truthfully say that adverse
cartoons are not offensive to me, for
some of them have been exceedingly
distressing"
Il am inclined to think" says Secre-
tary of the Treasury Carlisle, ''that the
cartoonist, as well as the newspaper
writers generally, have been rather
considerable of me. | do not permit
criticism of any character to deprive
me of sleep. All newspaper sketches
have theiy place and their value"
President Hayes was deeply panied
whenever he was subjected to the ridi-
Guile of caricaturists. He banished
comic papers from the white house, be-
cause he cid not want his wife to see
them. On one occasion Zach Chandler
came to Washington. and answered a re-
porter with the oiT-hand remark: II
have come to Washington TO run
poker down the spine of the administra-
ton Very shortly afterwards pic
ture paper appeared with cartoon
showing Chandler as a colossus, hold
ing the presidents beard with one hand,
while lie jan,mcd an immensc poker
down the back of his neck. That was
exceedingly offensive to Mr.. Hayes.
Benton McMillin. Of Tennessee, says:
81 take everything as good natureGly
as possible in this life. But you may
be sure that 1t is not conso,ing to any
man to- see himself pictured as g
monkey, babOon. or a treasury bur |
glar. However, | must confess that |
the pictures are funny enough when |
they are about some other fellow
Uncle Jerry Rusll. as the late secre- |
tary of agriculture was called by his |
friends. always enjoyed comic pictures. |
He laug he'd long and often over picture |
which was published soon after he en- |
tered tie cabinet. The congress had |
only a month previously created the de- |
partInept of agriculture. and one day |
he was loosely called THE tail of the |
administration 10y Joe Cannon, of Illi- /
po;s The old fa.-,,,pr S+ateSn1au re-
piled: ''Hell, Joe. you know that the /
tail of this cabinet may keep the flies /
OFF of she administration" Cannon \
went off, of course. ami told the story. !
Very soon afterwards comic paper !
pictured big COW. with RuslS's face, |
swinging tail over the cabinet table |
where President Harrison and the cabi- 1
net ministers were seated. while the /
aix WIS full of flies. Uncle Jerry