Life, 1900-07-19 · page 7 of 22
Life — July 19, 1900 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "The Republican Platform (With Splinters)" This page satirizes the Republican Party platform through two cartoons. The upper circular illustration shows automobiles and a horse, captioned "These automobiles are getting the best of us all abroad"—likely mocking Republicans' claims about industrial progress and prosperity. The lower cartoon, titled "Sure, that never could happen in ould Ireland," depicts a man viewing a store window display of a woman, suggesting a critique of American materialism or exploitation contrasted with traditional values. The accompanying text mockingly praises Republican achievements under William McKinley, including financial management and colonial expansion (Porto Rico mentioned). The satire emphasizes contradiction between stated ideals and actual policies, particularly regarding imperialism and economic inequality. The tone suggests Life magazine opposed these Republican positions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LDPE The Republican Platform. (With SPLINTERS.) HE delegates to the Republican convention assembled herewith, do declare as follows : First, We reaffirm our allegiance to a Mark Hanna and Jehovah, and promise &S to stick by the former to the bitter end. We desire to call attention to the fact that William McKinley, during the past four years, has been a faithful servant to every important financial interest in the country, and has done everything that he;has been told to do, and we point to his record with pride as being the greatest one yet! As an instance of his fealty to party interests, he has even placed ten thousand offices outside the civil service, where they can be within the reach of all who vote for the G. O. P., without regard to age, experience or previous rascality. Four years ago the whole country was in a hopeless financial condition, due to the Peace and Plenty policy of the Democratic party. To-day we have money to burn, and are burning it. Asa proof of this, we have only to call attention to the fact that we © SURE, THAT NEVER COULD HAPPEN IN OULD IRELAND.” The Horse : West. AUTOMOBILES ARE GETTING THE REST OF US ALL AROUND. are spending ten times as much as we ever dared to think of before. Four years ago we were poor and respectable. Now we are rich and reeking, not only with money but blood, We point with pride to our succession of victories on land and sea, over people whom, while we may never be able to Christianizo them, will be a good thing in the long run. From diminutive Porto Rico we expect to reap a revenue large enough to buy all the stationery for the next Republican Congress, desire to call attention to the fact that during the last year, in the Philippines alone, we have practically won a battle on every working day and sometimes on Sun- days. We believe in extending the right fdot of Anglo-Saxon fellowship to every nation on carth that we can subjugate, and we lay our money and our record at the feet of the voting population, in the firm belief that, by seeing the former and ignoring the latter, they will help us to reap the profits for another four years to come. We love everybody—men, women and children, Pensioners, Plutocrats, Philadel- phians, Hayseeds, wheelmen and bosses. But, above all things, we love and revero Mark Hanna, It is he that hath made us. Amen.