Judge — March 3, 1883 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "The Judge" - March 8, 1888 This satirical cartoon attacks Theodore Roosevelt's proposal for a "whipping-post for wife-beaters." The illustration shows a man being beaten by two women with sticks and whips while a third figure watches, suggesting the cartoon mocks Roosevelt's reform as creating vigilante justice rather than legal punishment. The satire implies that Roosevelt's idea would simply invite women to take violent revenge rather than establish proper judicial processes. The title "Sensible Roosevelt" is sarcastic—the cartoonist argues the proposal is impractical and dangerous. This reflects 1880s resistance to domestic violence reforms. While Roosevelt championed protecting women from abuse, critics worried about uncontrolled mob justice and challenged whether such measures were actually "sensible" or enforceable.