ABSTRACT
Cartoonist Thomas Nast and New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley had both been supporters of the Republican Party before 1872. Both had backed Abraham Lincoln and victory for the North in the Civil War, especially after the Emancipation Proclamation. The relationship between news and politics was still being defined during the 1872 election season. Journalistic standards included some independence from political parties, but journalists did not yet profess objectivity. The influence of Nast's political cartoons has been well documented by historians, with his most notable cartoon series being his critical depiction of New York City political boss William Magear Tweed. Like Nast, Horace Greeley sometimes received credit and blame for work he did not do. Although Greeley was certainly outspoken against slavery, his earliest political activity did not involve slavery. Nast's message is that Greeley leads a group willing to do anything-even connive with the basest people known-to gain office.
