Judge — January 29, 1898 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Quite Willing" — January 29, 1898 This cartoon satirizes **McKinley & Co.** (President William McKinley's administration) during the Spanish-American War period. The image depicts Lady Liberty (draped figure on left) being presented with a dirty towel by politicians. The caption's pun — "come over here and use a clean towel" — suggests the administration is offering false cleanliness or legitimacy to what the cartoonist views as a morally questionable enterprise. The men on the right appear to be government officials or politicians. The satire likely critiques the administration's justification for military intervention, implying their stated noble purposes mask self-interested or imperialistic motives. The "dirty" versus "clean" towel contrast symbolizes the gap between official rhetoric and actual conduct.