The Verdict

The Verdict was apparently founded to work against the reelection of William McKinley in 1900. Alfred Henry Lewis, editor of The Verdict, announced the purposes of the new independent Democratic magazine in the first issue, December 19, 1898. Lewis discussed his suspicion of party platforms and observed Cleveland and McKinley. "Cleveland-that girthy humbug-was elected on a tariff issue and called an extra session on finance. McKinley-our present Hanna-handled weakling of the White House-was elected on an issue of finance and called an extra session on tariff. In each recent and well remembered instance the platform was simply an election trap, with the 'issue' the lying bait to catch the vote." (1)

The Verdict published cartoons in every issue, emulating thereby the established Puck and Judge, which circulated widely and mocked politicians on behalf of the Democrats and the Republicans, respectively. "Although it followed the format of other New York comic weeklies, The Verdict insisted on being taken seriously. It called itself 'a political, but not a comic, paper' and 'a paper to make you think.' Think Democrat, that is. The fierce partisan interest of the magazine encouraged savagery from its cartoonists."(2)

The paper employed talented cartoonists. George Luks especially vilified the connection between McKinley and Mark Hanna, a Cleveland, Ohio industrialist. Hanna and McKinley had formed a personal alliance in Ohio politics. While McKinley served as Governor of the state, the legislature elected Hanna to the United States Senate. While in that office Hanna also served as the head of the national Republican Party. Horace Taylor was more prone to political commentary linked to social conditions, including an oft-reprinted cartoon of John D. Rockefeller holding the United States Capital Building in the palm of his hand. (3) (1) The Verdict 1(December 19, 1898): 2

(2) Thomas C. Blaisdell, Jr. and Peter Selz, The American Presidency in Political Cartoons, 1776-1976 (Rev. ed., Salt Lake City and Santa Barbara: Peregrine Smith, 1976): 140

(3) ibid., 132, 134, 140-44