Judge — January 16, 1897 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1887 Judge cartoon depicts Uncle Sam (the personified United States, shown as a large figure on the right) being frightened by a bag labeled with various political/economic concerns: "Tariff," "Business Agitation," and "Chinese Question." A disheveled figure dances in the center of Congress, apparently causing chaos. The accompanying note references the "Cameron resolution"—likely Senator James Donald Cameron's legislative proposal—suggesting Congress might pass laws that would constrain presidential executive power. The satire ridicules anxieties about congressional overreach and domestic political turmoil (tariff disputes, labor unrest, Chinese immigration policy), portraying these issues as a "big bag" of fears that could frighten the nation's leadership. The cartoon satirizes whether elected officials or the President should control policy responses to these pressing 1880s concerns.