The Political Satire of Sage Leevs
A vernacular-heavy, satirical column skewers the Spokane Republican convention and explains why local Populists are feeling optimistic.
The Spokane meeting was a corker. Our organ has been out of tune ever since. That silver plank fell like a thousand bricks and came mighty near smashing the bellows of the G.O.P. organ. But he took a dose of pain killer, bought a new bell to catch his tears, and says if the boys will all get in and drill now they can make the country believe the plank don't mean anything. We had a meeting of our boys when we heard the news, and it took three kegs of Winehart's beer and 5 boxes of Maley's cigars to supply the wants of the crowd. We have no doubt that fusion will kill all the other parties and we will build up our cause upon their ruin.
“Fusion is where we Populists shine.”
Political satire using phonetic dialect was a staple of 19th-century newspapers to signal class-conscious, populist identity. The mention of 'fusion' politics—combining Populists and Democrats to defeat Republicans—would lead to major political shifts in Washington just two years later in 1896.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.