Judge — January 25, 1908 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This political cartoon depicts a chaotic courtroom scene with a judge wielding an axe at the center. The title "JUDGE STARTED IT" suggests the cartoon is satirizing the *Judge* magazine itself or a judicial figure's role in initiating conflict. The scattered figures around the judge appear to represent various social or political groups in disarray—some wearing hats, some with money or documents visible—suggesting conflict over wealth, power, or legal authority. The visual chaos and the judge's aggressive posture with the axe indicate criticism of judicial overreach or blame-shifting. Without clearer OCR text or date information, the specific political context remains unclear, but the cartoon appears to critique either *Judge* magazine's editorial stance or a real judge's controversial actions that sparked broader societal turmoil. The satirical point seems to be ironic assignment of blame to the authority figure.