Judge — June 28, 1902 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon critiques Senator Hoar's "Give-It-Back Policy" regarding American imperial possessions, likely the Philippines following the Spanish-American War. The four-panel sequence depicts a "give-it-back" progression: Uncle Sam hands the United States to John Bull (Britain), who passes it to a "cliff-dweller," who then passes it to a "pre-historic man"—suggesting that Hoar's policy of relinquishing American territories would regress the nation into barbarism and chaos. The cartoon presents American control of colonies as civilization's natural order, while withdrawal is portrayed as devolution. The caricatured figures become progressively more primitive, mocking anti-imperialist positions as contrary to progress and American strength.