Judge, 1930-05-24 · page 10 of 36
Judge — May 24, 1930 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers **"The Straw Vote That Broke the Camel's Back"** satirizes the *Literary Digest*, a major magazine that conducted famous straw polls predicting election outcomes. The cartoon mocks their polling methodology during Prohibition (1920-1933). Four publishers debate three absurdly similar ballot questions about alcohol enforcement, each ostensibly different but practically identical—all permitting various drinks under different pretexts. The joke: their "scientific" polling is meaningless nonsense. The punchline involves a wife from Virginia who stopped contributing responses after "getting wise" to the scam. The lower section contains unrelated humor: a drunk tourist on a sightseeing bus, jokes about college boys picking up girlfriends, and a reference to Prohibition enforcement. The final cartoon jokes that federal "dry squad" agents raiding illegal alcohol operations now resort to hypnotism to enter premises—commenting on Prohibition's difficulty and the public's creative resistance to enforcement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE The Straw Vote That Broke The Camel’s Back By Jack Civetr Gour solemn, elderly gentlemen, wearing the conventional frock coats of big publishers, sat round a mahogany table in the conference room of the Literary Digress. On the center of the table lay a single ballot containing the following three ques- tions: 1. Do you favor the continu and strict enforcement of the E eenth Amendment and Volstead to permit light wines, beers, turpen- tine, she ginger jake, and a dash of bitters? 2. Do you favor a modi- ation of the Volstead Law to permit ht wines, beers, turpentine, shellac, ginger j ind 2 dashes of bitt 3. Do you favor a repeal of the Pro- hibition Amendment which permits light wines, beers, turpentine, shellac, ginger jake, a sprig of mint leaves and a paint brush? As the ballots poured in the four men silently tabulated the votes ac cording to cities and states. At last the editor broke the tense silen “What do you hear from Vi he asked, looking up from a. strs vote. The managing editor blushed and said: “My wife got wise—Virginia doesn't dare write more.” The editor sai I mean the re- turns on the straw vote, C dal.” “Oh!” Crandall said. “Check and double-che «++ Do you want to hear what the York Herald Tribune, On the Sightseeing Bus “Hold onto your hats, we're going through the canyons of lower Broad- way and it’s windy ow, we're turn- ing into Wall Street; hold onto your shirts.” Host—You're not going to walk home in that condition? Exuberant Guest—Of coursh not— hic—I'm gonna driv Nitt—See those seven college boys in that flivwer? Where are they go- ing? Witt—To pick up their girl friends. Irate Parent—This is going to hurt me more than it does you, son. Youngster—Yeah; but not in the same place. Dry squad raiding parties are using hypnotists to get doors opened —R. C. O'Brien for them. 8 comicbooks.com