Life — July 19, 1900 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis This cartoon depicts a railroad accident scene in a mountain cut, with a conductor and passenger in dispute over flag signals. The conductor claims he sent a *green* flag down the track to warn of the train ahead, but the passenger accuses him of failing to prevent the collision. The conductor's response—"no man will wave a red flag when I have a green one"—appears to satirize bureaucratic obstinacy or rigid protocol. The joke suggests the conductor prioritizes following standard procedure (using green flags) over practical safety measures (using red flags in emergencies). This likely critiques railroad safety practices or management indifference to accident prevention during the early railroad era, when such collisions were common and controversial.