Judge — June 23, 1923 — page 20: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Judge magazine cartoon satirizes threats to **state sovereignty** during what appears to be early-20th-century American constitutional debates. A caricatured figure labeled "FANATICAL" juggles two documents: the "MULLEN-GAGE ACT" and "STATE SOVEREIGNTY." The figure's exaggerated, menacing expression suggests dangerous ideological extremism. The cartoon critiques advocates of the Mullen-Gage Act (likely referring to federal legislation) as threatening state independence through federal overreach. The title "Al's There!" suggests a political figure named Al (possibly unclear without additional context) is responsible for or associated with this threat to constitutional balance. The cartoon's central message: federal expansion of power endangers the autonomy states traditionally protected under American federalism. This reflects Judge magazine's typical role critiquing progressive reforms perceived as centralizing government power.