Life, 1899-09-28 · page 8 of 20
Life — September 28, 1899 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 248 This page features "Correspondence of a Patriot III," a letter dated Manila, August 1899, criticizing military management during the Philippine-American War. The author complains that army officers conduct excessive inquiries and investigations rather than decisive action, wasting time "suspecting people" instead of fighting. The accompanying photograph shows two men identified as "Joseph Pulitzer and William Hearst"—the competing newspaper magnates whose rivalry defined American journalism of this era. The small cartoons illustrate the letter's themes satirically. The overall piece mocks what the author views as bureaucratic incompetence and red tape during wartime, contrasting this with the urgency combat demands. The inclusion of Pulitzer and Hearst likely references their newspapers' coverage of the Philippines conflict.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
L, August, 1899, eg cK What with the eli- M mate, our hardships and deprivations horoin Mantla—uno Ico, and fresh becra droum —and the meddling of officious regular army aristocrats, a man has a hard life of it who throws up home and friends to face mud, malaria and manslaughter for his flag and country, Eversince the firm hand of the grand old man of Michigan was withdrawn from tho holm of war, as the Pinetop Banner says, wo volunteers have had a tough time of it, and our accounts have been overhauled in a way that makes tho blood of a patriot boil with ruge. It was a great mistake to send rogulars out here, It didn’t make much difference out in tho rico swamps, whero they can bo killed off just as easy as volunteers; but it flooded our department with a lot of West Point stiffs who have no more idea of business than circus camels, If a man at home loses a lot of goods accidentally he wipes It off to profit and los, marks up bis stock at a sacrifice and squares himself, That's business, Hero, if it happens, these army cbaps ask a lot of impertinent questions; they want courts of Inquiry, and aMfdavits and investigations, and they waste more time nosing around and suspecting people than the stuff is worth, ‘That's red tape, the curse of the army. They soom to like it; but in times ot war and excitement, it is absurd and humiliating to a man’s self-respect. Whero 1S vIRST BATH. Our Uncle: LIFE’S ALBUM OF FRIENDSHIPS, JOSEPH PULITZER AND WILLIAM ImaRsT. comicbooks.com