Judge, 1930-05-24 · page 11 of 36
Judge — May 24, 1930 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This 1920s Judge magazine page satirizes Prohibition-era politics and polling practices. The cartoons mock how magazines conducted dubious "straw polls" to gauge public opinion on contentious issues. The main text describes an absurd editorial meeting where circulation managers present fabricated Birmingham poll results claiming overwhelming support for Prohibition enforcement. The joke pivots on the magazine's dishonesty—the editor acknowledges they'll manipulate thousands of ballots "for his own personal use." The satire targets: 1. **Fake polling**: Magazine straw votes were notoriously unreliable, often rigged to support editors' preferred positions 2. **Prohibition absurdity**: The poll questions hilariously conflate spinach enforcement with alcohol policy (light wines, ginger jake, turpentine—patent medicines containing alcohol) 3. **Media manipulation**: Even including "73 horses" voting reveals the complete unreliability The cartoons accompanying this likely illustrate Prohibition-era smuggling and drinking culture. This is essentially Judge mocking other publications' pretense at scientific polling while satirizing Prohibition's widespread public resistance and enforcement failures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE spinach with light sand and g Do you favor a repeal of spinac! “The views of many,” said the busi- er, “are summed up by the ld Union,” We'll be just as accurate in this straw vote as we were in the last,” said the editor, mark several hun- dred ballots for his own personal use. But, mark my words: The border states and the Solid South will swing toward light wines, beers, turpentine, shellac, ginger jake, a sprig of orange peel and three light taps on the door of Number 318 The four gentlemen said, “Check and double-check,” and at exactly 7 P.M. (by the Telechron) they” all rushed madly s the street to buy nal, Southern Lumberman, Manches- strict enforcement of spinal Do Ande. ter Union, Boston Transcript, Indi- you favor a modification to permit anapolis Star, Chicago Daily Ne Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, Nashville Tennessean and New Orleans Times- Picayune have to say Before the editor could say “No” the manager of circulation, sales pro- motion, poster disp! nd newsstand burst into the room and said: “Get a load o’ these latest returns from Birmingham. If you ask me, we ght to increase our distribution in city and put a girl in a red bath- ing-suit on our next cover.” ager said: “T used to be a boy in Birmingham, and I have a friend who used to be a girl in Bir- mingham. Don't tell me anything about Birmingham “Cheek and double-check !" said the manager of circulation, sales promo- tion, poster display and newsstand. “But here are the figures—+,491 of the boys and girls in Birmingham have voted for the continus ‘ enforcement of the Eighteenth ment and Volstead Law to perm! wines, beers, turpentine, shellac ger jak of the boys and girls have voted for a mor tion of the Volstead Law which permits light wines, beers, tur- », shellac, ginger jake and 2 s of bitters; 7,321 gf the little boys and girls favor a repeal of the ion Amendment which permits light wines, beers, turpentine, shellac, yinger jake, a sprig of mint leaves and a paint brush; and 73 horses cast their ballots for more oats. . . . Check and double-check !” The editor repeated, “Check and double-check,” and, turning to tl managing editor, continued: “Next year we will have a nation-wide poll on spinach, in advance of the regular election. The questions will be: 1. “Just wait till that big bum catches 1 I'm gonna bust him right in the nose!”