Judge — May 18, 1901 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# McKinley Oil Advertisement with Political Satire This 1901 *Judge* page satirizes President William McKinley's foreign policy through a fake medicine ad. The central figure—a man in formal dress representing McKinley—stands surrounded by geese labeled with U.S. territories: Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The geese appear to symbolize these lands as resources being exploited or "milked" for profit. The advertisement mockingly presents "McKinley Oil" as a cure-all remedy with testimonials from the labeled territories, each claiming the oil improved their situation. The satire critiques American imperial expansion following the Spanish-American War (1898), suggesting McKinley's policies benefited America while claiming to help these newly-acquired possessions. The goose imagery implies the territories are being treated as commodities to be plundered.