Life, 1906-03-08 · page 19 of 32
Life — March 8, 1906 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces: **Top: "Wall Street Soup"** — A caricatured bird (top-left) introduces a grotesque illustration of a bubbling cauldron labeled "Wall Street Soup," satirizing the 1904-1905 financial/corporate corruption and the messy state of Wall Street dealings. **Middle: "Save the Jury System"** — The text defends juries against a Harvard law professor's criticism, arguing they're essential "life-belts" protecting citizens. The accompanying cartoon of a "Mad as a March Hare" rabbit likely critiques the irrationality or unpredictability juries can introduce—they may ignore evidence and law, but serve as a check against judicial corruption and corporate power. **Bottom: "Benevolent Suicide"** — This critiques John P. Haines, president of the New York SPCA. The accompanying data table exposes his mismanagement: despite massive budgets, the organization reports far fewer prosecutions/convictions than the Washington Humane Society, suggesting funds were misappropriated rather than used for animal protection. The headline implies the SPCA's credibility died through his leadership.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Benevolent Suicide. ‘LIF E*® HAT meeting of the members of the S. P. C. A. on February rsth, in which John P. Haines packed the floor with employcs of the Society and openly voted down I efforts for an investigation of himself and his meth- ods was an ‘teye-opener"’ to the few personal friends who previously believed in him. It was a good thing for the B Society, it destroyed all ‘* illusions concerning John P. Haines, his methods and his purpose. Speaking of methods, the following table is of interest as showing the difference in number of prosecutions ( for cruelty to animals made by the New York Society and the Washing- ton Society during the last four years. ‘The reader will note that the New York Society simply reports its “ar- sts and prosecutions” without s how many arrests resulted in prosecu- tions, nor how many of the prosecutions resulted in convictions. WASH, HUMANE SOCLETY 102 General Expenses. 6 | Caaernl Breet * Arrests and Pros- Prosecvtions, ‘er5, ecutions, s20 | Convictions, (Bat four inspectors were employed.) NYAS AL 1903 General Expenses, General Expenses, $117,000 ess than $10,000 “Arrests and Pros Prosecutions, ‘989 ecutions,” s87 | Convictions, 940 (Five inspectors only employed.) 1904 General Expenses, General Expenses, 126,000, $ ‘Arrests and Pros. z ‘ecutions,”” 753 | Convier 11235 (Six inspectors only employed.) 1905 s 14335 {Six inspectors only employed.) As the protection of animals is the purpose for which the New York § was organized, it is interesting to guess as to what John P. Haines, its presi- dent, has been doing with the funds. Save the Jury System. FORMER attorney-general_ of Massachusetts, Mr. Parker, has been talking about our jury system to the Harvard law students, He de- fended it, He was right. Our jury system is a good thing. Our laws are SCTILE PUBLIC ARE IN.” fallible ; our judges are only so- lawyers are all kinds; most of our dis- trict-attorneys are under indictment by the newspapers, Where would we be if our apparatus of justice was not tem- pered in its workings by the abilities of our juries to bring in verdicts contrary “MAD AS A MARCH HARE," to the evidence, the law, the orders of the court and the arguments of the lawyers? Juries are the life-belts on our great excursion steamer, They are usually stuffed with straw, or worse, but they make us feel safer when the whistle toots, They keep our hopes up, if not our chins, and we cling to them for what they ought to be. Save the jury system! It is the pal- dium of our intentions, It tempers slation with justice, and justice with reasonable doubts. Without it more of us would suffer for warrantable crimes and profit by unwarrantable privileges. And it is the great barrier between lynch-law and the corpora- tions, The jury system helps to preserve the balance of our institutions. We cannot spare it yet awhile. No! No! Necessity. RKINS h arated from his wife and gone to live in bachelor apartments.” ** What did he do that for?” “He said he couldn't live without some of the comforts of home," comicbooks.com ——