Judge — April 13, 1901 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1901 Judge magazine cartoon satirizes **John Bull** (personification of Britain) appealing to **President McKinley** about protecting American industrial interests through tariffs. The cartoon depicts Bull as a caricatured figure in formal dress, gesturing toward a harbor scene with industrial mills and factories. Bull argues he needs a "tariff gate" to shield American manufacturing from foreign competition—ironically, since Britain historically championed free trade. The satire targets the **protectionist tariff debate** of the McKinley era. It mocks the contradiction: Britain, long associated with free-trade ideology, now appears desperate to adopt American protectionist policies to save struggling industries. The cartoon suggests this represents British economic decline and America's rising industrial power, presenting protectionism as necessary American policy while questioning Britain's traditional trade positions.