San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-08-23
CARTOONS IN POLITICS.
They First Came Into Prominence In
the Lincoln and Douglas
Campaign.

the Lincoln and Douglas
Campaign.
One of the most interesting develop
ments of modern times is the art of
political cartooning. Hundreds of
newspapers, comic weeklies and 9TH
er periodicals all over the country
are springing cartoons apropos of the
great presidential campaign of 1896.
Two score years ago the political car
feature was unheard of. Today it is
one of the great features of the daily
newspaper.
A number of the earliest cartoons
made in this country show marked
difference from the caricatures of to-
day. While the work upon some of
them is crude, the ideas which the
cartOOnists wished to convey is never.
theless very forcibly expressed. Many
of the cartoons of the early days were
far from being dignified and respect
full, and number of them were even
brutal. This crudlty and brutality
have passed away. The modern car
toOn is finished and perfect, and in
most cases it pokes fun at a political
candidate in very inoffensive way.
Indeed, it is said on excellent authori-
ty that politicians consider it such a
mark of honor to be cartooned that
they send their best photographs to
the well-known artists of the coun-
try. 1t is vigorously maintained by
many that a politician does not |
amount to much until he has been |
After that distinction he |
is supposed to have advanced several
steps, and TO have arrived at dis |
tinction that makes him a force of
some moment
The political cartoon first came in
to prominence during the presiden-
tial campaign of 1860, when Lincoln
was the Republican nominee, Douglas
The Democratic champion and John G.
was the nominee of a
boiling wing of the Democratic party.
Even then few newspapers began the
practice of printing political cartoons,
although they had many on other sub
ects. Single sheet wood cut cartoons
were made alone and scattered
broadcast all over the country. The
Cleveland Campaign Plain Dealer"
| fiery Douglas organ, was one of the
few papers which printed cartoons
The paper was also a bitter antago-
mist of President BuchapaR,-an it
lid its utmost to make~things hot for
The president a1a~for Candidate Lin.
,oln and all his supporters. One
rude picture represented Lincoln and
Douglas as pugilists. Douglas had
Iincoln's head under his arm, and was
represented in the act of severely
the noted abolitionist,
while a number of Lincoln's most not
ID opponents stood outside the ring
'opes jeering at the rail splitter
md urging on the little giant"
By the time the next campaign ar
lived, when Lincoln was pitted
against Gen. Mcclellan, the cartoon
lrt had made considerable progress,
md "Harper's Weekly" entered the
arena as the stalwart champion of
he Republican party. The Weekly"
assailed the Democratic
party and its champion, producing
some vigorous cartoons caricaturing
he candidate Of the opposition. The
of Gen. Grant-the first
against Seymour and the second
against Horace Greeley-afforded
great opportunities for the cartoonist,
md he did not neglect them. The art
was now flourishing and improving
rapidly, and some Of the greatest
cartoons the country has ever seen
we're produced these wears.