Judge, 1934-05 · page 9 of 36
Judge — May 1934 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Farm Relief Cartoon Analysis This page satirizes New Deal agricultural programs through a dialogue between two farmers, "Cy" and "Abner." The cartoon mocks how farmers are exploiting government relief agencies (AAA, CCC, CWA) meant to address Depression-era hardship. The joke: farmers receive subsidies ostensibly for farm relief—the AAA paid them to reduce crop production, the CCC employed workers on conservation projects—but they're actually using the money to start unrelated businesses (hot dog stands, gas stations, tourist shops). One farmer grotesquely notes he's "paid for all the wheat you ploughed under," referring to the government's controversial policy of paying farmers *not* to grow crops to raise prices. The final ironic exchange—wishing "it will be a bad summer for crops" because "what you can't grow you get paid for anyway"—exposes the perverse incentive structure: farmers profit more from *not* farming than farming. The cartoon criticizes both the New Deal's apparent inefficiency and farmers' opportunism in exploiting it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Farm Relief I Abner, how goes it?” Pr good Cy, pretty good. Just came back from Washington.” Do any business with the AAA?” “Sure did. Got me three thousand dol- lars to build a new hot dog stand. Kind of oubled about the stuff Is Seems like I more free mustard. Some new other about unfair competition.” “Tam having a mite o' trouble myself The CCC boys brought me down some log furniture they made up in the woods, and [I was figuring on getting a CWA man to paint the barn over and open up as an 1¢ Shoppe. [ could run it 1 still ime to go over to the County Seat you old galoot! You still getting hogs you killed off 2" s How about you, ain't you getting paid for all the wheat you ploughed under last Fall?” ‘Yep, and I am figuring on. starting a gas station as soon the rate codes go through.” “Well, good luck to you, here's hop- ing it will be a bad summer for crops.” “You said it. What you can’t grow you “First the ball, then the caddy, and now—I'm lost.” get paid for anyway. Looks like us farm ers is getting a little consideration at last.” HE sea monster found on the coast of France is nothing but a long-nosed shark, scientists declare. We know the type—we've met ‘em at poker parties. q Simple Celia’s brother has taken up writing for a living. She says he's so bad at it that now his rejections are coming by air mail. The worst hold-outs in baseball today are the fellows who fill the pea- nut bags in the ball parks. And if some of those night baseball games would go into extra innings, we suppose the game would be called on account of dawn. Business is so bad in the heavy- weight fight racket these days, we the losers are throwing in pap towels. And don’t be vexed with little Willie if he gets along in school by copying off the other kids. He may grow up to be a great song writer some day, “Alta boy, Charley—Nold him up there!" 7 comicbooks.com