Judge — November 7, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Why Not?" - Judge Magazine, November 7, 1885 This cartoon satirizes New York City's mayor regarding municipal finances. The central figure—a well-dressed man in top hat with arms spread wide—stands before City Hall. The caption reads: "Let our note-shaving, city-treasury-depositing Mayor put his sign on the City Hall and have done with it." The satire attacks the mayor for allegedly depleting the city treasury through questionable financial practices ("note-shaving"—discounting promissory notes at unfair rates) and improper treasury deposits. The gesture of spreading his arms suggests he's brazenly displaying his control over civic institutions. The "Why Not?" title sardonically proposes the mayor should openly claim ownership of City Hall, implying he already effectively controls it through financial mismanagement. This reflects 1880s concerns about urban political corruption and treasury fraud.