A complete issue · 16 pages · 1882
Judge — May 6, 1882
# "The Plumbers on Strike" This May 1882 cartoon satirizes a plumbers' labor strike. The main illustration shows a well-dressed man on his knees, pleading with a burly plumber labeled "PLUMBER." The gentleman holds an empty wallet, suggesting financial desperation. A woman watches from a window above, implying domestic crisis. The caption reads: "The winter is over, and I can stand it as long as you can"—the gentleman's bluff assertion to the striking plumber that he can endure the work stoppage indefinitely. However, his posture and empty wallet contradict this boast, making the satire clear: homeowners are actually suffering badly from the strike and desperate for the plumbers to return. The cartoon mocks the striking workers by depicting the employer as pitiful rather than the workers as sympathetic—Judge magazine's typical pro-business stance during labor disputes of the Gilded Age.
# Explanation of Judge Magazine Page This page from Judge contains two satirical articles attacking contemporary public figures and social problems circa the 1870s-80s. **"The Mighty Plumbers"** mocks plumbers' wage demands and their practice of accepting partial home payment for services—treating this as symptomatic of larger economic grievances alongside National Banks and railroads. **"Clear the Stage"** is the main satire, using moving day as metaphor to demand prominent politicians and figures vacate public life. It names James G. Blaine (Maine politician), Henry Ward Beecher (preacher), Ulysses S. Grant, Roscoe Conkling, Henry Bergh (animal welfare activist), and Samuel Tilden (associated with Tammany Hall corruption). The piece sarcastically imagines these figures reluctantly leaving office, suggesting they cling to power and positions despite their scandals or ineffectiveness. The "Castle Garden" reference alludes to corruption at this immigrant processing center. The satire reflects Gilded Age frustrations with entrenched political corruption and powerful individuals resisting reform.
