n 1880, Treasury Secretary (and former senator) John Sherman of Ohio and
Senator James Blaine of Maine were major contenders for the Republican
presidential nomination. This cartoon reflects Sherman's anger at Blaine's
successful attempt to gain backing within the Ohio delegation, at the expense of
Sherman, the state's favorite-son candidate. Artist Thomas Nast's overall theme
presents the men as "spoilsmen"-i.e., unprincipled politicians who use
the patronage system ("the spoils of victory") to gain and keep power
for their own sake, not for the good of the people. The cartoonist, an advocate
of civil service reform (see "Civil Service Reform" in Issues), uses several symbols to communicate his message of ruthless power for
personal gain.
In the center of the cartoon, Sherman (left) and Blaine (right) wear the garb of
Roman senators Julius Caesar and Pompey. Along with Crassus, they ruled the
Ancient Roman Empire as the First Triumvirate. Pompey (here, Blaine) turned
against Caesar (here, Sherman) in the Roman Senate, having Caesar designated as
an enemy of the state (here, Ohio). The phrase "the die is cast" means
a step taken which cannot be reversed. It refers to Julius Caesar ordering his
troops in Gaul to cross the Rubicon River into Italy, thus provoking a civil
war. Caesar was the victor, while Pompey was assassinated by the Egyptians with
whom he sought refuge. The Roman Senate soon made Julius Caesar dictator for
life. In 1880, however, both Sherman and Blaine would lose the Republican
nomination to Congressman James Garfield of Ohio.
The statute to the right of Blaine's sword depicts the orphaned twins Romulus
and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome who, according to myth, suckled at the
teats of a she-wolf; they are placed upon a pedestal reading "Spoils."
The image reinforces the notion of Sherman and Blaine as twin spoilsmen,
nourishing themselves on government largesse. To the left of Sherman's cloak is
the tail-end of an equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson, who was
regarded as establishing the modern patronage system. Nast frequently used the
statue to indicate the "spoils" system. In the background, the chief
architectural icons of American government, the Capitol Building (right) and the
White House (center), are aligned in this setting with the imperial Roman
Coliseum (left). The birds (vultures or buzzards) hovering overhead is a common
signifier of doom or death.
(The "Resumption" and money emblem on Sherman's breastplate stands for
his sponsorship, as senator and treasury secretary, of the Resumption Act, which
returned the U.S. to the gold standard.)