Judge — January 14, 1905 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Let Well Enough Alone" (Judge, January 14, 1905) This cartoon satirizes the relationship between **protectionist tariffs and worker wages**. A large, bloated figure labeled "PROTECTION PROFITS" holds a "TARIFF REVISION" bottle, pouring coins onto a smaller worker below. The text inside reads "MEANS PROTECTION WAGES." The satirical message is clear: protective tariffs—defended as benefiting workers—actually enriched business profits while wages remained stagnant. The quoted epigraph from Senator Hale criticizes tariff revision as economically destabilizing. The cartoon argues that despite protectionist rhetoric claiming to shield American labor, the actual beneficiaries were wealthy industrialists, while workers received minimal wage increases. The title "Let Well Enough Alone" suggests ironic resignation to this exploitative system.