Judge — April 12, 1902 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cover from April 12, 1902 depicts a bloated, wealthy figure labeled "The Trusts" riding on the shoulders of a smaller man (likely representing the common citizen or worker). The trust magnate clutches a bag marked "The Trust" while a tiny figure below gestures in protest. The caption reads: "Don't get mad, my boy. Remember 'possession is nine points of the law.'" The cartoon satirizes the growing power of monopolistic business trusts in early 1900s America. It argues that wealthy industrialists had effectively seized control through legal maneuvering, leaving ordinary citizens powerless to resist. The "possession is nine points of the law" phrase ironically suggests that once trusts controlled the economy, legal remedies were futile—a critique of both corporate power and the inadequacy of existing laws to restrain it.