Judge — July 5, 1924 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis This satirical comic by an artist signed "BARR" mocks early automobile culture and reckless motorists, titled "Why Not a Code for Motor Knights of the Road?" The cartoon depicts wealthy car owners as lawless "knights" who've created an underground code to evade traffic enforcement. Each panel shows different traffic violations and corrupt practices: speeding past police ("lightning signal"), bribing officers with "common sense," hitting pedestrians ("ball & chain"), and extorting locals through hit-and-run incidents. The satire targets the privileged motorist class who treated roads as personal domains, ignored speed limits, and faced minimal consequences due to wealth and connections. The "code" signals represent how early drivers communicated to warn each other about enforcement. This reflects widespread public anger (circa early 1900s) over dangerous automobiles driven recklessly by the wealthy, with inadequate regulation and enforcement of traffic laws.