Life — January 6, 1898 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The National Calamity" This Life magazine cover from January 6, 1898, presents a political cartoon satirizing Congress during what the caption labels "The National Calamity." The cartoon depicts two well-dressed businessmen in conversation. The first (labeled "First American Business Man") appears anxious, while the second responds that he naturally expects this situation because "Congress is in session." The satire suggests that Congress itself represents a calamity or disaster for American business interests. This reflects late-19th-century attitudes among wealthy industrialists and their sympathizers who viewed legislative activity—particularly regulatory efforts or taxation—as economically harmful. The joke assumes readers shared this perspective that congressional activity inherently threatened business prosperity.