Judge, 1914-11-21 · page 18 of 24
Judge — November 21, 1914 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical column mocks Congress for proposing absurd "reforms" during periods of legislative inactivity. The specific target is a hypothetical plan to revise the multiplication table "downward"—a nonsensical proposal that uses mathematical absurdity to lampoon Congressional tendency toward trivial, grandstanding legislation. The satire works on multiple levels: it ridicules politicians for wasting time on frivolous reforms while ignoring substantive issues (tariffs, currency, war taxes, Philippines policy). It also mocks Democratic platform promises of "downward" revision across all policy—suggesting such logic applied to basic mathematics becomes obviously ridiculous. The author implies Congress seeks voter approval through populist-sounding but meaningless initiatives, and notes that even conservative "stand-patters" would resist such radical change. The piece expresses cynical skepticism about Congressional priorities and legislative competence during the early 20th century.
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