Judge — September 22, 1888 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This anti-free-trade cartoon depicts **Great Britain as Death or a skeleton**, seated amid bones and skulls in a cave labeled "Free Trade." The figure wears a top hat and formal dress, personifying Britain as a wealthy but morally corrupt nation. The satire argues that Britain—called "the commercial pirate of the world"—uses free trade to undercut American workers' wages by flooding markets with cheaply-made goods produced by "pauper paid labor." The skeleton imagery suggests Britain's predatory economic policies kill American industry and prosperity. The crowd outside the cave appears to represent American workers and citizens, likely meant to show the nation's population being exploited. The accompanying New York Sun quote warns American workers that accepting free trade will reduce their wages to British poverty levels. This reflects **late-19th/early-20th century protectionist arguments** against free trade, positioning tariffs as necessary to protect American labor from foreign competition.