Life, 1904-09-08 · page 5 of 20
Life — September 8, 1904 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece critiques the *New York Sun's* editorial support during what appears to be a political crisis. The dialogue shows a President reading newspaper reports about losing crucial backing—the *New York Sun* has withdrawn its support, leaving him dependent on the *New York Sun* alone. The satire mocks the President's desperate reliance on a single newspaper while other major papers have abandoned him. References to "Tweed and Ben Butler" and "Salt River" (a political phrase meaning defeat) suggest this concerns late 19th-century partisan politics. The accompanying prose section addresses Mrs. Maybrick's imprisonment, indicating this is a contemporary issue page mixing political satire with news commentary—typical of Life's format during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“It Is the Blesséd Sun.’? HE President sat in his easy chair, And read the papers from far and near, While the faithful Laeb, to make glad his heart, Said, “All the reports bring much good cheer. The Oshkosh World has swung around ; The Red Gulch Times says the firht is won Thus, Sire, this ? You have the support of the New Fork Sunt” Ob horrors! Ye gods ! What's The President started ; his face grew pale ; “Guns! If you love me, say not so ! Shades of Addicks and Jacob Riis ! What have I done to deserve this blow ? Is it for this I set Cuba free ? For this, ere the fight is half begun, AN INHERITANCE. When all looks fair, | should thus be cursed With the fatal support of the New York Sun? + Pilloried thus before mankind, Me, with Tweed and Ben Butler, too ? Old Dick Connolly, David Hill ? Sweeny, and all of the motley crew ? Never a God-forsaken knave— Never a rogue of the baser sort— Never an evil public cause— That the New York Sun would not sup- port. * Poor old Sua! Why, the sorry sheet ! Free Silver, Greenback, this or tha Every rag-tag and bobtail cause, This week Tammany, next week Platt. Up Salt River the ghostly crew Look back on the losing race they've run, And sigh, * Well, we might have had a show But for the support of the New York Sun.’ The strenuous teeth no longer shine ; Pallid and shrunk is the martial brow ; Chill are the winds of Oyster Bay; Forgotten and idle the Big Stick now. Riis comes and goes, but he brings no cheer ; The Curse has fallen ; the evil's done ; All joy is fled since that fatal day ‘That announced the support of the New York Sun. A Cready Sykes, RS. MAYBRICK is out of prison, and apparently every newspaper reporter in the world is on the lookout for her. She cannot show her face in a window in any town in Europe without word of it being sent to the ends of the earth. Let the poor woman alone. She has served her time and is entitled now to liberty, and the pursuit of such hap- piness as she can attain. comicbooks.com