Original artwork, not a still
An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker condemns elections as morally ugly, comparable to a battle in everything except bloodshed. Everyone involved is dirtied by the process, as if wading through mud. The remark is scornful and hyperbolic, treating political contests as corrupting to the character of every participant.
Context reviewed
