Life, 1899-06-15 · page 14 of 20
Life — June 15, 1899 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **Richard Olney Griggs**, apparently a cabinet official (likely Attorney General) in the McKinley administration. The left portrait and main text mock public ignorance about who Griggs is, suggesting ordinary citizens confuse him with products (bug spray, toothwash) or natural phenomena. The satire praises Griggs as a loyal administration functionary—resourceful, useful to the government, and notably the only cabinet member in a century with three g's in his name. The barbed compliment suggests he'll defend whatever policies the administration pursues, including imperial "expansion" and constitutional flexibility. The right-side cartoons labeled "Life's Elixir" mock patent medicines through fake testimonials (Lady Macbeth, Horace), paralleling how Griggs is presented as a cure-all for administrative problems—satirizing both quack remedies and blind party loyalty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
36M Baaaia, Griggs. ¢€€ TGNORANCE of ordinary rudimentary facts and things,” said the solemn political wiseacre, ‘is ono of the most pitiablo foatures of thisdand of freo schools and yellow papers, The lack of definite knowledge, for instance, concerning Griggs is amazing — awful, Who knows what Griggs are, or is? Thero aro peoplo right here close to Jorsey who believe Griggs to bo a specto of tropical yam; others fancy they—or it—are a new bacillus; there are some who would be surprised if they wero told that Griggs was not a patent bug destroyer, an antiseptic tooth wash, or a new brand of Indiana onions.” Asa mattor of fact, Griggs is a real person, now living in Wash- ington. He used to run a trust hatchery down in Passalo, and 1s tho most fly-immune chap that over came up from tho Jorsey morasses, Why, Griggs is great; he kuows more kinds of law with ono band than all the Supreme Court; and Hanna says ho's the man for bis money. Just think of it; he is the only man with three g’s in bis name who has been in the Cabinet in a century, Why, Washington LIFE'S ELIXIR, LAD { suffered dreadfully from insomnia till I tried a bottle of Vinum Marianum, with most beneficial results. —Lady Macbeth. There's nothing like 9 Vinum Marianum cocktail for a pick-me-up after a night with the boys.—Q. Horatius Flaccus. didn’t have threo g’s in his name. You can bet on Griggs every timo for a winnor, Griggs is a useful and sympathetic person; the friend and con- soler of the Administration ; resourceful, and up to snuff. It was Griggs who got onto the Constitution, and recommended that it be stretched and froned out to suit both expansion and beef con- traction, It was Griggs who smelt treason and defined it; it was