Judge, 1916-08-12 · page 19 of 28
Judge — August 12, 1916 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** rather than political satire. The small cartoon at top depicts a restaurant scene where a customer demands the proprietor, but the waiter explains he's at lunch—a joke about poor service and unavailable management. The main content advertises Kelly-Springfield Tires as premium, hand-made products for discerning buyers. The pitch argues that **experienced motorists** understand value through mileage-per-dollar rather than initial cost. The company positions itself as exclusive equipment on "better class" automobiles, guaranteeing 5,000-7,500 miles but typically delivering 8,000-10,000. The marketing strategy appeals to **class consciousness and consumer sophistication**—suggesting only educated buyers appreciate quality over price. This reflects early-20th-century consumer culture where "experience" and brand loyalty justified premium pricing. The satirical element is subtle: the opening joke about unavailable proprietors mirrors the advertisement's message about reliability and service quality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
x SANE <n= fie Lustomer—Send the Proprietor here. Conciltating Naiter-Sorry sir,he's out to lunc Experience teaches us what we don’t want as well as what we want. Kelly - Springfield Automobile Tires - Hand Made EW. buy Kelly-Springfield Tires until Fre: have had experience with other tires and learned to measure tire values in terms of mileage rather than initial cost. Every Kelly-Springfield Tire you see is a certificate attesting: “This is an experienced motorist.” It testifies: “This man has driven other cars, measured the wearing qualities of tires, and learned to purchase mileage at the minimum cost.” The reason is simple. Kelly-Springfield Tires cost more. They are hand-made—to be sure that mileage is built into them. They are ex- cess-mileage tires. So they are found on new cars of the better class only, as special or optional equipment when the car buyer knows tire values and appreciates that the car manufacturer has paid the price necessary to provide the best service to be had. Kelly-Springfield Tires cannot be made to meet the price allowed for tire equipment on lower priced cars, when buyers expect only guaranteed mileage. So they are not found on cars until the car buyer has learned to ignore initial cost: and guarantees and considers cost per mile. Because the public expects a guarantee, Kelly-Springfield Tires are guaranteed for 5,000, 6,000 and 7,500 miles, according to type. But they yield 8,000, 10,000 and often greater mileage. Cases where adjustments are neces- sary are rare. Few who have once used Kelly-Springfield Tires ever change to other tires, except when they buy new cars equipped with other tires chosen by the manufacturer. Kelly -Springfield Tire Co. Factories in Akron and Wooster, Ohio Executive Offices: Broadway & 57th Street, New York ten cents for the new game, “Going to Market" comicbooks.com