Life, 1902-12-18 · page 7 of 26
Life — December 18, 1902 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on Utah politics and public health. The main cartoon depicts a dragon labeled "Smallpox" confronting figures representing the Utah situation—likely referencing debates over compulsory vaccination and government authority. The text criticizes Senator Reed Smoot of Utah for making political decisions without consulting the Mormon Church leadership, sarcastically suggesting this breaks precedent. It then pivots to mock compulsory vaccination policies during a smallpox outbreak, depicting the enforcement as heavy-handed. The dragon imagery suggests disease as a threat, while the figures' apparent helplessness critiques government overreach in public health mandates. The overall tone is skeptical of both religious influence in politics and state vaccination requirements—issues that generated significant controversy in early 20th-century America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Senators. spy] F, as the Christian EX clergy of Utah i 5) are saying, Mr. Reed Smoot does nothing withont consulting the authorities of the Mormon Church, his election to the United States Senate is cer- tainly to be deprecated. Inasmuch as our prosperity is unexam- pled (see Republican platforms), should we not suffer the control of the Senate to re- main with Wall Street? If we tolerate a Senator who takes his orders from the Mor- mon Church, the first we know (facilis descensus arerni) we shall find ourselves tolerating Senators who take their orders from the people. As the late election felicitously put it (quoting Mr, Hanna): Let well enongh alone. TW HEN about to propose, remember that it isn’t the speech, but the man that wins. Vaccination of the Future. N view of the preva- lence of smallpox, the Board of Health had re- course to compulsory vaccination, Tho militia were called out, and each man was provided with one hun- dred rounds of dum-dum bullets infected with vac- cine virus, The orders were to shoot low. But the raw levies proved poor marksmen, St, George; tTusul tusu! oF COURSE mE'LL rionT! A PLAME AT MALL, 81n, JUST LIS THERE AN’ @MOULDERS LIKE.’ and as the epidemic showed no signs of abatement, a great clamor arose. = and Science. benefits of education. “No, SIR} NOT TO-DAY, SIR, "E'S GOT A CHILL, TRMPERATURE'S NINETY-TWO, HAND ‘E CAN'T OFT UP “Call in the Federal troops ” was the ‘THs official emblem of the St. Louis Ex- popular cry. position is out, with the following Of course there were legal obstacles, but ladies present : these had been ignored before, in time of Columbia, Louisiana, public stress, and might be again. tude, France, Agriculture, Commerce, Art Progress, Recti- HILDREN are unerring judges of char- It is understood that Liberty would have C acter until they have received the attended but that she abhors a crush, the more as she grows older. comicbooks.com