The Review of Reviews

knight in armour than Lord Salisbury; but even Lord general agreement among electioneering authorities that Salisbury makes a very respectable figure, as is shown in this bold and impudent placard, or rather the bold and the cartoon which I reproduce on the previous page, and impertinent appropriation of these companion pictures which might have been labelled “ Behold the Conquering by the Unionists, gained them many votes, especially in Hero Comes.” Such pictures are not so much weapons of South Wales. electoral warfare as standards under which the faithful There were many effective placards intended to illuscan go forth to battle.

trate the advantages of maintaining the Union or the The chief interest in mural literature is in those disadvantages of Home Rule. One of the most effective pictures which en

and brightly-coloured deavour to influence

of these was issued votes. The first

in Glasgow, repreplace must be given

senting three soldiers by general consent

- a young Guardsto a very effective

man, a Highlander, placard, containing

and one of the Concompanion pictures,

naught Rangers — wbich was issued by

standing side by side the Unionists. Noth

in defence of the ing could be more

Union Jack. A good simple, more artless

specimen of the menthan this poster,

dacious poster was which stood the

that which was issued Unionists in such

by the Irish Unionist good stead. It will

Alliance, in which the be seen from the re

most unwarrantable duced copies which

liberty was taken with I reproduce here, the

my name. In oppospictures represent a

ing the In and Out working man's home

Clause in Mr. Gladin prosperity and in

stone's Home Rule adversity. In one the

Bill, I had described workman comes home

the clause as the to find his table well

most lunatic device laden with good cheer,

that was ever inand is welcomed by

vented for destroying a happy wife and

an Empire. Owing chubby child. In the

to this and similar other a workman sits

representations the þeside an empty cup

clause was abanboard, in the midst

doned, but notwithof his starving family.

standing this the There is nothing

Irish Unionist Allipolitical in the pic

ance deemed it tures. They repre

honest to issue huge sent scenes with one

placards, a reduced of which our work

copy of which is to men are unfortu

be found on another nately only too fami

page, in which my liar. They were used

declaration concernfor political purposes

ing the In and Out by the Unionists, who

Clause is quoted as: represented the pros

if it were my delibeperous home, with

rate judgment upon plenty on the table,

Home Rule. as the result of

For the most part Unionist policy; THE WORKING MAN'S HOME.-I.

mural literature is while the picture of

printed in black and squalor and misery was boldly labelled so as to make white, but colour was most used by the Conservait represent the results of the Liberal administration. tives. A series of more or less effective cartoons by Tom There was nothing in the world to prevent the Liberals Merry were issued from Conservative headquarters, from issuing exactly the same pictures labelled the being supplied to Unionists' Associations at the rate of 10s. other way on. It would have been just as true in a hundred. From the Liberal headquarters no pictures one case as in the other, for no one in their senses were issued of any kind. The National Liberal Club, on will contend that want never invades a workman's the other hand, with the aid of the Nassau Steam Press, home under either Liberal or Tory administration. succeeded in producing in a few days half a million broadLack of work and distress are never absent from sheets in various colours. Some of the Liberal posters certain sections of our population, nor do they time were pictures of Mr. Gladstone and other Liberal leaders. their coming according to the ascendency of this or that Three of the pictures deserve special mention. The most party at St. Stephens. Nevertheless, there seems to be a effective of all the Liberal cartoons put upon the walls

during this election was that representing the “Massacre Mr. Chamberlain in every conceivable position. For of the Innocents,” in which the various members of the genuine humour and original force there are few to House of Lords are represented as the soldiers of King excel those in which he represents the union of the Herod butchering the various legislative bantlings of the Parson, the Publican, and the Peer, entitled “United Liberal Ministry. There is humour and somewhat more we stand, divided we fall,” or that other cartoon repreof originality in this picture than there is in any of the senting Lord Salisbury before and after his absorption others issued during the election. St. George and the by Mr. Chamberlain. Mr. Gould may certainly lay the Dragon was another effective cartoon; while a third, flattering unction to his soul that he has contributed as representing an

much as any man to Englishman, Irish

make Mr. Chamberman, Scotchman, and UNDER THE

lain the leader of the Welshman meeting

hour, and to fix atin friendly hand

tention upon the grasp round the

Liberal Unionist Union Jack, was pro

leader to the excluduced as a set-off to

sion of any other the cartoon of the

figure in the electoral three soldiers.

battle. Mr. Chamberlain

From Inverness I figured conspicuously

hear that the most in the literature of

effective placard. the hoardings. But

issued in the election it is noticeable that

was a plain bit of he figures almost

printing, which I exclusively upon

reproduce here:Liberal posters. The Tories and Liberal

WHAT THE LIBERAL Unionists do not

GOVERNMENT HAVE seem to have thought

DONE SINCE 1892. that his portrait was

1892. one to conjure with.

Came into Office. The Liberals, on the

Made Peers. other hand, have

Made Promises. rather overdone their caricatures of Mr.

Home Rule Fiasco. Chamberlain. De

Made more Peers. parting for a moment

Made more Promises. from mural literature to that of caricature

1894. in general, we should

Passed a Local Govern. notice here the con

ment Act.

Increased the Death tributions made by

Duties. the Pall Mall Gazette

Won the Derby. and Westminster

Lost their Leader. Gazette to pictorial

Made more Peers. electioneering. The

Made more Promises. Pall Mall Gazette

1895. brought out “The

Again won the Derby. Wreck of Rosebery,"

Made still more Peers. which contains a

Made still more great deal of third

Promises. rate stuff with two or

Resigned. three very effective cartoons, which I re

TOTAL. produce. But the

1 Act, 2 Derbys, Westminster unquesTHE WORKING MAN'S HOME.-II.

15 Peers, tioningly took the

Promises innumerable. palm by its cartoons for the crisis, of which it brought Among the humours of the election must be mentioned out a series of over two dozen. The pencil, pen, and the fact that in East Fife the Tories were so confident of fertile brain of Mr. Carruthers Gould seldom achieved the defeat of Mr. Asquith that they actually prepared and a greater triumph than in the success with which he hit off from day to day the salient features of the

printed huge placards, as follows: “ Glorious Unionist contest. I reproduce here, by permission of the West

victory. Triumphant return of Mr. Gilmore. Defeat of minster Gazette, some of the best of this notable series.

ex-Home Secretary.” Mr. Gould has seldom done anything better than On the whole, the mural literature of this election in these cartoons. From of old time he had a perfect seems to have been singularly free from offensive denuncia. passion for delineating Mr. Chamberlain's somewhat hard tion and mendacious statements, or anything that could and unprepossessing features, and he revelled in the be described as hitting below the belt. The billsticker opportunity which this election gave him of depicting has very few sins to answer for.