Life, 1905-01-05 · page 31 of 36
Life — January 5, 1905 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a scathing editorial attack on financial fraud and market manipulation. Life—using the fictional partnership of "B. Munchausen" (the notorious liar) and "John Ananias" (biblical deceiver)—mocks Wall Street operators who make false claims to swindle the public. The satire targets: - **Stock swindlers** selling worthless "gilt-edged insecurities" (fake securities) - **Market manipulation**: they boast of selling "Hot Air" and now "Blizzards"—metaphors for worthless investments - **Political complicity**: even President Roosevelt and European leaders allegedly beg them to stop (satirizing how powerful these fraudsters have become) The repeated insults ("Liar! Cutthroat! Villain!") are intentionally crude and theatrical, mocking the brazen audacity of con artists. The final tagline—"there's millions in it"—captures the real motive. This reflects Progressive-era skepticism of unregulated stock markets and financial schemes that devastated ordinary investors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
+ TO EVERYBODY---WARNING. —— -LIFE- A copartnership has just been formed between B. Mun- chausen and John Ananias. We propose to tell the American people a few things they have been aware of for some time. If this shall influence them to buy and sell some of our gilt-edged insecurities, we shall not have lived in vain. We are going to make some terrible statements. This is one of them. Six months ago we discovered that we were stuck on our- selves. Last week some malicious liar, whose name will be divulged later on, spread the awful news that we were telling the truth. If you'll stop and think for a moment, you'll see what this means to us. Yesterday President Roosevelt, all the members of the Cabinet and all the crowned heads of Europe got down on their knees to us and begged and prayed us to stop. But we gave them the merry Ha! Ha! We have the American people in front of us, with all their good coin, and we dare any one to say that we are not making anything out of this deal. Liar! Cutthroat! Villain! Murderer! Whoop! Hip, hurrah! Zounds! Gadzooks! And likewise Pish and Tush. Just cut these terms out and apply them to Everybody. We don’t care, because they are true. They must be so, if Last week we publicly said that Hot Air would go to par and drop to 4o below zero. Were we right? We guess yes. Sell Hot Air if you value your System. There is nothing in it. We sold ours in the Good Old Summertime, and are now dealing in BLIZZARDS. Buy our Blizzards at any price. Spring won’t be here for mouths. We recommend Snowdrifts, Icicles and Frost Banks. MUNCHAUSEN’S MAGAZINE—OUT TO-DAY. Remember that we have no interest in this periodical ex- cept to write for it and go the System one better, and keep Wall Street guessing. Have you been stung in the market ? We thought so. Buy the next number, and if you don’t be- lieve what we say, bear in mind that there’s millions in it. That’s what we are here for. Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip! Live the Simple Life BY DRINKING Louisiaiia, Texas, New Mexico, Many Questions Answered By Books and Booklets issued by the Southern Pacific Arizona, California Inquire ROUTE The great connecting Mak between the East and Colorado Texas and California and between the North, Northeast and Northwest and Florida Consult Big Four Agents, or Warren J. Lynch, G. P. & T. A., Cincinnati. comicbooks.com