Life — July 9, 1903 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The New Constitution of 1903" This satirical piece mocks a "Capitalists' Convention" that proposed rewriting the 1789 Constitution to serve corporate interests. The preamble parodies the original, replacing "We the People" with "We, the Capitalists of the United States," explicitly stating goals like forming "trusts, insure monopoly, provide for no competition." The articles are absurdist satire—vesting all power in Congress (composed of lawyers in capitalists' employ), preventing presidential opposition, and making the Constitution unamendable. The heart-shaped illustration labeled "A Captain of Industry" shows a wealthy man in his counting house, captioned "The President of the Greatest Trust in the World"—identifying monopoly capitalists as the true rulers. The "Moonlight Effects" illustration shows figures gazing toward a moon, suggesting naive workers unaware of their exploitation.