Judge, 1914-10-10 · page 23 of 24
Judge — October 10, 1914 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an advertisement, not a cartoon—a full-page plea for patriotic investment during World War I. The U.S. faced a cotton surplus because European warfare disrupted trade. J.S. Bache & Co. (a brokerage firm) urges Americans to buy 500-pound cotton bales at ~$50 each as both investment and patriotic duty. The advertisement claims President Wilson set the example by purchasing cotton himself, appealing to civic duty. It emphasizes the movement will be "profitable as well as patriotic," suggesting financial gain alongside patriotism. The pitch downplays risk (cotton doesn't deteriorate, it's insurable) and enlists other corporations for free storage to reduce costs. The company offers services at no charge, positioning itself as a neutral facilitator—though readers were clearly expected to profit eventually when cotton prices recovered. This reflects early WWI-era economic anxiety and the merging of financial self-interest with nationalist rhetoric.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Buy a Bale of Cotton The European War forces the United States to face a temporary surplus of several million bales of Cotton. ‘The price is already below the cost of production and the whole country is affected, Cotton being the mainstay of our gold reserve. Cotton does not deteriorate with age. It can be insured for its full value. Every public-spirited person with a little money to spare owes it to the country to buy at least one bale of Cotton—an investment which we unhesitatingly recommend. The cost of an average bale weighing about 500 pounds will not exceed $50 and storage and insurance will not be above one cent a pound. It is reported in the public press that President Wilson Has Set the Example by Purchasing a Bale of Cotton Will You Follow His Lead? Many who are already familiar with this serious situation would be willing to show their patriotism by helping along this movement, but are probably deterred because they do not know how to proceed; therefore we take this opportunity and means of offering our facilities to the public to get the movement started in a serious, businesslike way. We Will Make No Charge Whatever for Buying This Cotton nor for the work done in connection with it by our clerical force, and the space occupied by this announcement has been given free of charge by the public-spirited publishers of JUDGE. Cash expenditures which may be incurred in making a purchase would naturally be charged to the cost of the Cotton, as would costs which may arise in its liquidation when that time comes. Some of the larger corporations may be induced to help along this movement by furnishing free storage and this would considerably reduce the carrying charges. We will do everything in our power to make this movement profitable as well as patriotic, and we suggest that all who sympathize with it shall forward their money to us in sums: of not less than $50, or multiples thereof. When purchases have been made at the lowest price obtain- able, we will report them, and any surplus over actual cost will be returned. J. S. Bache & Co. 42 Broadway New Yorw City comicbooks.com