Judge — May 15, 1909 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Bust the Farmers' Trust" - Judge Magazine, May 15, 1909 This political cartoon satirizes agricultural monopolies and price-fixing. A figure labeled "Consumer" (wearing a cap) confronts a "Farmer" on the opposite side of a large cylindrical container labeled "Record High Prices for Meat, Corn, Eggs, Vegetables, etc." The container appears to be a measuring device or pump, with coiled tubing suggesting the apparatus controlling market prices. The caption reads: "The market is against me." The cartoon critiques how farmers, despite appearing to prosper from "record high prices," are actually victims of trusts—monopolistic business combinations that manipulate markets. The satire suggests farmers aren't benefiting from high prices; rather, trusts control distribution and pricing, harming both producers and consumers. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about corporate monopolies exploiting the agricultural sector.