Judge — December 3, 1887 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon satirizes labor movement fragmentation using the biblical Tower of Babel metaphor. A workwoman stands in the foreground, despondent, stating she "laid the foundation, but the confusion of tongues will prevent its completion." Above her, various laborers work chaotically on an unfinished tower, some appearing to work at cross-purposes. Visible labels include "UNION LABOR" and "HONEST LABOR," suggesting different factions within the labor movement. The cartoon criticizes how competing labor organizations and philosophies—the "confusion of tongues"—prevent unified labor progress, just as God's curse confused languages at Babel. Rather than advancing collective worker interests, internal divisions undermine the movement's ability to build something meaningful. The satire suggests labor solidarity is impossible given these fractious groups.