Judge, 1882-05-13 · page 8 of 16
Judge — May 13, 1882 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This political cartoon satirizes the U.S. military's priorities during Apache conflicts in the Southwest. The image shows an Apache warrior (depicted in caricatured style typical of the era) outside a "Depot for Furnishing Hostiles with Rifles Ammunition and Whiskey"—suggesting the government was indirectly supplying Native American fighters. The accompanying text, a mock telegram from James H. Toole to President Arthur and Congress, uses bitter irony to criticize military spending on ceremonial displays at Fortress Monroe while nearly 100 settlers had been "wantonly murdered" by Apache forces. The satire argues that frontier resources devoted to grand military pageantry should instead fund measures to prevent further deaths and stop emigration to dangerous territories. The cartoon reflects contemporary anxieties about Western settlement safety and critiques perceived government incompetence in protecting citizens.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
and Both Houses of Congress Daring the rojotcings incident tou military display announced to take Fortress Monroe, we bog to offer y skeleton to sit at your banquet, t nearly 100 of our pioneers have withia days been wantonly murdered in cold bis by the devilish Apaches, whom a crac! penditare incurred in your grand di could be dovoted to such measures as ¥; preclude tho probability of increase list of our murdered dead wo could seat a greeting of gratitade and cheer in plan this message expressive of our sorrcy dif helplessness avd our desolateness, JAMES H. TOOLE, Chatrna/