Judge — February 24, 1912 — page 14: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This **Judge** magazine cartoon satirizes the 1912 U.S. presidential election by listing all major candidates as "lawyers." The figure shown—appears to be a cowboy or working man—looks at a wall covered with "LAWYER" repeated alongside candidate names (Taft, Hughes, Clark, Cummins, Harmon, La Follette, Wilson, Bryan, Black, Underwood, Folk, and Gaynor). The satire's point: **all these political candidates are lawyers, not practical businessmen**. The caption—"It's time to quit lawin' and get down to business"—expresses frustration that America needs someone focused on actual business/commerce rather than lawyers engaged in political maneuvering. This reflects early 20th-century criticism of lawyer-politicians and desire for businessmen in leadership.