Judge — May 28, 1910 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Commentary from Judge Magazine This page satirizes political instability and the Progressive/insurgent movement challenging the Republican Party establishment around 1912. **"Political Spooning"** critiques whether insurgent Republicans (progressives) genuinely seek reform or merely want power—questioning their seriousness versus opportunism. **"Spoon Number"** features a judge figure, likely representing judicial authority or public judgment. **"Party Purity in New York"** mocks claims that Hughes (Charles Evans Hughes, Republican candidate) is politically "dead" to insurgents, while actually he remains relevant to their demands. **"Spooning Not in Curriculum"** satirizes college students wasting time courting instead of studying—a metaphor for political distraction. The bottom cartoons attack insurgents using mockery: depicting them as destructive ("swinging the big stick") and raising a suspicious flag at Washington, suggesting disloyalty or radicalism. The satire targets both progressive reformers and Republican establishment dysfunction.