Judge, 1908-07-18 · page 3 of 14
Judge — July 18, 1908 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes President Theodore Roosevelt's "Square Deal" domestic policy platform. The top article mocks Washington state's requirement that postage stamps be made from sweet potato gum—a bizarre regulation the author argues contradicts Roosevelt's principles about sensible food standards. The cartoon "How He Worked It" depicts two men discussing how to "catch eating in a lunch-wagon"—likely satirizing Roosevelt's trust-busting regulatory efforts and their unintended consequences for ordinary commerce. The bottom illustration appears to show a boating accident, captioned with dialogue about growing up to "be a man," possibly referencing Roosevelt's celebrated persona as a rugged outdoorsman. Overall, the page uses absurdist humor to critique Progressive Era regulations as overreaching and impractical.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A SQUARE DEAL AND A SQUARE MEAL. DVICES from Washing- ton on the back of the post- age stamps is made of sweet potato, Thi as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. If the public gum is to be made of food-stuff's, why, in a republic like this, should one mai taste be permitted to prevail over another's? We do not all of us care for sweet pota- toe: d we cannot be m= pelled to even by the great I Yam himself, for all his big stick and its power. The sweet potato is not a bad thing, but there are thousands th ecu ated gastro- Hr oth embert tastes who pi les, like C ciety ean we rs, shrimp jad, and » there are SS THE BOY'S HOME ‘TOWN? Kesident—* Be y Summer boy S persor individual with whom [have had- no troduction.” J matter that [decline to diseuss with, hor even a other tastes to be tensive menu, Let the one-cent stamps be gummed with sweet to, if you will, but on the twos let us have # hint of pickled oys- nored because give us a thr ent stamp flavored with stewed rhubarl some bureau- t stamp with pumpkin pie; put mint sauce on the nickel crat likes stamp; and soon up to the highest denomination, catering as the sweet pota- stamps rise in value to the more expensive tastes. Surely if the toes? Wetrow — man who never buys anything more expen than a penny stamp is not—-not, at entitled to his sweet potato and nobody denies that he is—the chap least, if this is who buys a dollar stamp should be able to get something for his the age of the money in his gum—as the office-boy says, he should get what is square deal. It gumming to him—ruddy-duck, pate de foie gras, itt is therefore re- or even a hint of a Bronx cocktail, if that is 2 < spectfully sug- what he likes. gested that the While we are on this subject, we feel con- Post-office De- strained to interpellate the Post-office Depart- HOW HE WORKED IT. partment vary ment also on the point as to when it proposes McCoffee—* Gee whiz, Bill! you look pretty pros- that recipe a to obey the mandates of the pure-food law and perous to be caught eating in a lunch-wagon.”" bit, and give stamp its gum with a statement of its ingre- O'Sinkers—" That's how U keep looking prosperous.” ay "a more exe dients? JOUN KENDHICK BANGH. ruthlessly i ANOTHER VERSION. nithson— What i Browne's earning capacity Jones—** It’s never been y8 been em- is tested. He's alw: ployed by the government.”” EWS ITEM—A baker in ambesi prides himself for cleanliness. He even has curist to fix up his lady- A BAD OUTLOOK. Mrs. Weighty—" Rowing so much will make you teal s Slimmy (the boarman)—"' I don’t believe 111 live to grow up, 1 yy wh a grow up to be a man.” comicbooks.com