Judge — July 31, 1909 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a political cartoon satirizing restrictions on American business practices, likely from the Progressive Era (early 1900s). A devil-like figure representing business interests is bound in chains labeled with regulatory requirements: - "You must not enter into business combinations or even partnerships" - "You must be liable for careless acts of your employees" - "You shall not combine to maintain prices or wages on a profitable scale" - "You must charge schedule prices for what you sell" The cartoon mocks what business saw as oppressive government regulations and antitrust laws. The chained devil, scattered documents (menu, check book), and the phrase "duty of an American citizen" suggest the cartoonist is criticizing regulations as unfairly constraining legitimate business operations. This reflects business opposition to Progressive-era antitrust and labor regulations.