Judge, 1927-12-03 · page 13 of 36
Judge — December 3, 1927 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire on Prohibition Enforcement This Judge magazine page satirizes Prohibition-era drinking laws through mock-serious proposal: implement "drinker's licenses" modeled on automobile licensing. The scheme parodies government overreach by suggesting applicants consume ten cocktails before passing sobriety tests (straight-line walking, dancing with "government hostess," reciting phrases). Stop-and-Go signs would regulate bar parking; violators face fines for exceeding "eighteen drinks an hour." The cartoons below depict absurd enforcement consequences: drunken citizens collapsing, unable to navigate these regulations, police monitoring drinking zones. The satire critiques Prohibition's impracticality and heavy-handed enforcement while mocking both bureaucratic solutions and the pretense that drinking could be "controlled" like automobiles. The humor targets those supporting Prohibition's strict regulations—suggesting their logic, taken to extremes, becomes obviously ridiculous. Published during Prohibition (1920-1933), it reflects contemporary frustration with the amendment's enforcement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
— IWIG An Open Letter to the Govern- ment of These Here Now United States After several moments of in- tensive thinking I have worked up a scheme for eliminating the evils of prohibition and drinking which I herewith gladly present gratis to my country and if I don’t get some kind of a Con- gressional medal I’m going to be terribly, terribly hurt. ae Here tiz! Handle the liquor situation in the same way auto- mobiles are controlled. Make € drinker carry drinker’s license and make him pass a test to get one! Simple, n’est-ce pas? In other words, limit drink- ing to those people who can handle the stuff! ==2 SLEMME SEE YAR LiCeNRe" The Government could open examination bureaus all over the country and the test would be similar to the regular automobile test. The only difference would be that the applicant would be given, say, ten cocktails, or ten drinks of his own choosing, be- fore taking the test. He then go through the regulation eye examination, walking a straight line, dancing with a gov- ernment hostess, and repeating such phrases as “Truly rural.” would TONED Mk NATE and Go signs would be in government or filling stations, operated by officers to regulate the trafic ‘in drinking, parking by the bar would be limited to a certain time, and of course drink- ers would be fined for exceeding the legal drinking limit of eig teen drinks an hour. Third time offenders would have their li- taken away. The whole thing is so simple I can’t under- stand why the government hasn't thought of it before. Naturally a new complications would as you can see by Mac’s sketches. but experienced police- men would soon have the scheme working smoothly. owned censes cS OMB — comicbooks.com