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 Alton B. Parker: Pro and Con

 


 “Citizen Parker"
  Cartoonist:  William Allen Rogers
  Source:  Harper's Weekly
  Date:   August 20, 1904, p. 1265

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
Although Harper’s Weekly was neutral in the 1904 presidential election, it leaned toward Democrat Alton B. Parker, who is pictured here on the cover of the August 20 issue. In this dignified portrait, the candidate is shown having taken off his judicial robe as chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals (the highest court in the state) to stand for the presidency. Although Parker’s conservative views pleased editor George Harvey and cartoonist William Allen Rogers, Harper’s Weekly had long thought ill of the nominee’s campaign manager, David B. Hill. The former New York governor, senator, and state party boss was considered by many to be a demagogue and political spoilsman. Here, Hill is bottled on the shelf like a laboratory specimen. “Wolfert’s Roost” was the name of his estate outside Albany, New York. Three weeks later, Harper’s Weekly reported in its September 10 issue that Hill had announced that he would retire from politics at the end of the year. Editor Harvey spoke for many political observers when he concluded that Hill’s declaration was an attempt to save Parker from further guilt by association with the controversial politician.

 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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