Judge, 1914-04-18 · page 9 of 24
Judge — April 18, 1914 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon satirizes William Gibbs McAdoo, Wilson's Secretary of Treasury and a prominent figure in 1910s-1920s politics. The top illustration jokes about "long felt wants"—a pun on women chaperones needed at social gatherings—showing a woman supervising a chaperoned room while parties continue beyond. The biographical text below mocks McAdoo's Southern background and his relentless ambition. The satire peaks in describing his obsession with building the Hudson River tunnels connecting Manhattan to Jersey City: Judge jokes that since McAdoo couldn't solve the problem of crossing the river while staying dry, he'd go *under* it instead. The humor lies in presenting his major infrastructure project as the quirky fixation of a determined but eccentric personality, while corporations opportunistically support it for profit. The "Jack-o'-lantern smile" reference emphasizes McAdoo's perpetually cheerful demeanor despite his drive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SANTO. Pee LONG FELT WANTS—A CHAPERONS’ ROOM cADOO, WIL- LIAM GIBBS. Secretary of Treasury and Grand High Dollar Dip- lomat in Cabinet of President Wilson. Born Marietta, Georgia, Octo- ber 31st, 1863, whence, as a Halloween baby, he acquired his famous Jack-o’-lantern smile. His first words were, ‘‘Northward the Star of Empire takes its way —what's the fare to New York The answer to this coming to $19.75, or a trifle more than the infant had in his trousers pocket at the time, his departure from Southern climes was postponed for more propitious times, As consequence of this postponement he grew to young manhood under Southern NON RS Who's Whosiers Everywhere By HORACE DODD GASTIT suns, deriving therefrom a beaming dis- position, which, allied to the Jack-o’- lantern smile already referred to, enabled him to lure ‘possums from the trees and hedgehogs from their hole: bleak De- cember, without even rising from his chair; not to mention an ingratiating manner, which, when ultimately brought into New York life, was in such marked contrast to other manners to be found in the great metropolis that he at once at- tracted the attention of everybody but the police. In 1892 became a resident of Yonkers, a Hudson River Paradise distinguished for its suburbanity and brilliant social activities, which have earned for it the proud title of ‘‘The Paris of Westchester County.’ It was while living here that Mr. Mc- Adoo discovered that it was as hard for a Yonkers man to walk across the river to New Jersey without wetting his feet as for a millionaire weighing 249 pounds to drive his motor through the eye of a needle without the aid of counsel. The discovery came upon him with such force as to become an obsession, and real- izing that it was such a condition as could not be over-come, he decided that it might be under-come. ‘‘If you can’t get over a thing, get under it,’’ said he, and immediately set about constructing a series of tubes under the river connect- ing the island of Manhattan with Jersey City, in which operation he was substan- tially encouraged by certain friendly cor- porations, which were quick to perceive comicbooks.com