Judge, 1919-09-20 · page 25 of 36
Judge — September 20, 1919 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes American political and economic power structures circa the early 20th century. The top section shows "Profiteers" exploiting nursery rhymes, suggesting war profiteering. The central panel depicts "Common People" dwarfed by authority figures labeled with restrictions ("You Shall Not Drink," "You Must Work," etc.), representing government and corporate control over ordinary citizens. A tree labeled "Striking Violence" and another marked "This Tree Bears No Fruit" critique labor unrest and economic futility. The bottom panels are titled "The Land of the Free"—the White House labeled "A Sure Sign of Hard Luck for the American People"—and show "Poor Old Uncle" (likely Uncle Sam, representing America) battered and worn. The overall message criticizes how concentrated power among politicians, industrialists, and profiteers exploits and impoverishes common Americans while claiming democratic ideals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\, nV i) } My m0 Profiteers js (ij) pan’ ul hittle Boy Blue Come Blow Your Horn The Sheep are in the Meadows The Cows in the Com A= A Sure Sign of Hard Luck for the American People Poor Old Uncle Drawn by Fuuison Hoov en _ Timery Tuoucuts comicbooks.com