In the center of the cartoon, Sherman (left) and Blaine (right) wear the garb of Roman senators Julius Caesar and Pompey, respectively. Along with Crassus, they ruled the ancient Roman empire as the First Triumvirate. Pompey then turned against Caesar in the Roman Senate, having Caesar designated as an enemy of the state (here, Ohio by analogy). The phrase "the die is cast" means a step taken which cannot be reversed. It refers to Julius Caesar ordering his troops in Gaul to cross the Rubicon River into Italy, thus provoking a civil war. Caesar was the victor, while Pompey was assassinated by the Egyptians with whom he sought refuge. The Roman Senate soon made Julius Caesar dictator for life. In 1880, however, both Sherman and Blaine would lose the Republican presidential nomination to Congressman James Garfield of Ohio.

The statue to the right of Blaine’s sword depicts the orphaned twins Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome who, according to myth, suckled at the teats of a she-wolf; they are placed upon a pedestal reading "Spoils." The image reinforces the notion of Sherman and Blaine as twin spoilsmen, nourishing themselves on government largesse. To the left of Sherman’s cloak is the tail-end of an equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson, who was regarded as establishing the modern patronage system. Nast frequently used the statue to indicate the spoils system. In the background, the chief architectural icons of American government, the Capitol Building (right) and the White House (center), are aligned in this setting with the imperial Roman Coliseum (left). The birds (vultures or buzzards) hovering overhead are a common signifier of doom, death, or opportunistic pillage.