A complete issue · 16 pages · 1888
Judge — August 4, 1888
# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Hands Off!" (Judge, August 4, 1888) This cartoon satirizes the Democratic Party's position on free trade. The image shows three caricatured figures (likely representing Democratic politicians or principles) labeled as "The Coons" in the caption—a derogatory term used in period political cartoons. The satire targets Democratic claims that free trade doesn't harm American workers. The caption reads: "The Democratic Party is badgering to explain that it doesn't mean Free Trade...The Coons:—We nebber did care for chick'n no how. We's Reformahs; we is!" The cartoon mocks Democratic reformers as hypocritical, suggesting their stated positions on trade policy contradict their actual economic policies. The "hands off" title implies the Democrats want government to stop protecting American industry.
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page 266 This page contains political commentary rather than a cartoon. The main article, "The Mills Calamity," discusses Congressman Mills's tariff reduction bill, which the editor opposes sharply. The text criticizes Mills for claiming the bill would save the treasury $320,000,000, calling this dishonest accounting. The editor argues the bill ignores a $320,000,000 debt from "promises to pay" and contends there is "no real surplus." The commentary defends protective tariffs, arguing they shield American manufacturers and workers from foreign competition. It dismisses free-trade arguments as naive and warns that eliminating wool tariffs would harm domestic producers. The page reflects late-19th-century Republican protectionist ideology versus Democratic free-trade positions.
