Life — April 21, 1904 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Commentary on Coal Industry Regulation This page from *Life* magazine (April 22, 1904) critiques the coal industry and recent Supreme Court decisions affecting it. The text discusses Democratic presidential candidates and compares Judge Alton B. Parker favorably to other options, while arguing for government regulation of coal monopolies. The accompanying cartoons (rendered in simple pen-and-ink style) appear to satirize the wealthy coal barons and their outsized influence. The illustrations show figures in exaggerated poses, likely mocking the power dynamics between industrial magnates and ordinary citizens. The article argues that natural competition between coal producers and carriers is the only effective check on price-gouging, and warns that unrestrained capitalists represent genuine threats to democratic governance and honest administration of government.