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The donkey gained its acceptance as the Democratic symbol in
1874 as a result of Thomas Nast's cartoons in
Harper's Weekly and Ignatius Donnelly's remark in
the Minnesota Legislature, "The Democratic party is like a
mule--without pride of ancestry or hope of posterity."
The elephant became known as a Republican symbol also because of
a cartoon designed by Nast and published in Harper's
Weekly (November 7, 1874.) See full explanation in
Safire's New Political Dictionary, pp.192 and 212.
(R 320.03 Sa1)
Source: Safire, William. Safire's New Political Dictionary : The Definitive Guide to the New Language of Politics. Random House, New York, 1993.
Verified by: GM, 5/98
Disclaimer:
While the Library has verified the information presented in these files in what it considers to be reliable and authoritative sources, it cannot take responsibility for nor guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.