Judge — March 5, 1887 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes American workers' concerns about immigration during the late 19th or early 20th century. An American workman (left, caricatured with exaggerated features) appeals to a Congressman, demanding protection "against the [influx] of Pauper Labor itself." The satire appears to mock the hypocrisy of American laborers: they demand government protection from cheap immigrant labor while themselves appearing to be desperate, working-class figures. The cartoon likely critiques protectionist labor arguments as self-serving—suggesting that American workers fear economic competition from immigrants willing to work for lower wages, yet frame this as a moral or national defense issue rather than economic self-interest. The context reflects heated debates over immigration and labor standards in industrial America.