Judge — September 26, 1925 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon appears to criticize Prohibition's effects on American society. On the left sits a hunched, miserable figure labeled "PROHIBITION," apparently personified as having caused societal decay. On the right stand two caricatured figures representing "NEW YORK" and "CHICAGO," dressed as gangsters or criminals with labels suggesting organized crime and violence ("BOOT LEGGING" appears visible). They sarcastically address Prohibition, suggesting the policy created the very criminal enterprises and urban corruption it aimed to prevent. The cartoon's message: Prohibition didn't eliminate drinking—it spawned organized crime, gang violence, and moral corruption in major American cities. The satire blames the Prohibition policy itself for transforming cities into criminal enterprises, making the ironic point that well-intentioned legislation produced the opposite of its intended effect.