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State Elections |
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“Mrs. Partington Hancock Struggling with the Republican Tide” |
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Cartoonist: Thure de Thulstrup |
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Source: Harper's Weekly |
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Date:
October 30, 1880, p. 693
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Click to see a large version of this cartoon |
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Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
This cartoon portrays Democratic presidential nominee Winfield Hancock as Mrs.
Partington sweeping back the sea. According to newspaper reports, in 1824 an
English woman named Mrs. Partington tried to sweep back (or mop up) a torrent of
sea-water which a gale was driving into her house. She did not give up until the
deepening water forced her to seek shelter on the second story. In 1831
opponents of the Reform Bill in the British House of Lords were compared to Mrs.
Partington vainly attempting to sweep back the sea. Variants of the phrase
"Dame Partington and her mop" became a metaphor used against those who
try to fight progress.
Here, the tidal waves making the old woman's (i.e., the candidate's) efforts
futile are the results of the fall state elections in Vermont, Ohio, and
Indiana. In the 19th century, fall state elections (see October Elections in Campaigning) were considered a reliable indicator of how the
states would vote in the November presidential contest. The Republican
presidential candidate, James Garfield of Ohio, would, indeed, capture those
states in November, but the results of the election were far closer than this
cartoon predicts. Both candidates won 19 states each, with Garfield narrowly
edging out Hancock in the popular vote (by 1/10 of a percent) and in the
electoral college (by the difference of the New York electoral votes). Indiana
was targeted in the campaign by both parties as a "must-win" state, so
the Republican victory there was very important. The top-hatted American Eagle
is perched on a rock (left), where he watches Hancock's struggle. |
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