This cartoon spoofs Adlai Stevenson as a modern-day Rip Van Winkle. Stevenson, the vice president of the United States during President Grover Cleveland’s second term (1893-1897), was nominated again in 1900 as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. The literary allusion emphasizes Stevenson’s age (nearly 65 years old) and exaggerates his years absent from elective office (three as opposed to Rip Van Winkle’s slumber of 20).