Judge — September 30, 1893 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This editorial cartoon satirizes a congressional committee hearing on tariff reform. A large rooster perches atop a "Committee Room" building, symbolizing predetermined outcomes—the "open-and-shut thing" of the caption. Below, various businessmen carry protest signs: "Let us have Tariff Reform," "Importer," "Free Trader," and "Importers and English Free Traders." They're testifying before the committee, but the cartoon suggests their testimony is meaningless since the decision is already made. The rooster likely represents either arrogance or corruption—the committee's predetermined verdict regardless of evidence presented. This reflects Progressive-era skepticism about whether congressional committees genuinely considered public input or merely performed theater for predetermined political outcomes. The satire criticizes legislative processes as rigged spectacles.