Judge — November 6, 1897 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon by Grant E. Hamilton depicts a dog wearing a large collar labeled "PROSPERITY" being kicked by an unseen force from a darkened doorway. The accompanying text discusses a wage increase announcement from Rhode Island mill managers, who stated they would restore wages to 1893 levels on December 1st without worker demands—though this was expected after major mills had already decided to return to that schedule. The cartoon satirizes the situation as insincere corporate benevolence. The "baby" (prosperity/the economy) "kicking" suggests economic turbulence or resistance. The dog's distress under the prosperity collar indicates that claimed prosperity is actually causing hardship or instability for workers, despite management's self-congratulatory tone. The satire questions whether wage increases represent genuine economic health or merely desperate corporate maneuvering.