Judge — August 6, 1921 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Cartoon Analysis: "Judge," August 6, 1921 This political cartoon by Walter de Mare depicts two men conversing outside a general store in rural America. One appears to be a judge or official (referenced in the dialogue), while the other is a common citizen. The dialogue concerns "reformers" who wish to confiscate tobacco ("terracker"—likely referring to chewing tobacco or a regional variant). The citizen's response—that reformers could "still smoke that stuff you're smokin'"—is sarcastic commentary on Prohibition and temperance movements of the early 1920s. The cartoon satirizes the hypocrisy of reform movements: reformers ban citizens' pleasures while indulging their own vices. It reflects public frustration with overreaching moral legislation during the Prohibition era.