A complete issue · 16 pages · 1893
Judge — February 18, 1893
# "Behind It All" - Judge, February 18, 1893 This cartoon satirizes the 1893 Hawaiian Revolution and American imperialist involvement. Two men in the State Department (identifiable by the label) manipulate Hawaiian affairs like puppeteers controlling marionettes, while a bearded figure (appearing to represent a Hawaiian or business interests) watches from the doorway. The text explicitly names Claus Spreckels, a sugar magnate who allegedly orchestrated the overthrow of the Hawaiian government to protect his commercial interests. The satire suggests American diplomatic officials are complicit in this corporate-driven coup—that behind the rhetoric of revolution lies profit motive and foreign manipulation of Hawaiian sovereignty for sugar industry benefit.