Life, 1906-06-14 · page 10 of 24
Life — June 14, 1906 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes government corruption and constitutional manipulation. The central figures appear to be wealthy or powerful men with halos (ironically suggesting false sanctity), examining what looks like a constitution or legal document. They're surrounded by smaller, lamb-like common citizens—the "two lambs" of the title. The satire suggests that despite constitutional protections, ordinary people are being deceived and fleeced by those in power. The halo imagery mocks the pretense of moral authority. The accompanying text discusses how constitutional government can be subverted through manipulation of public opinion and transcendental reasoning that obscures actual abuse. The overall message: constitutional safeguards mean little when leaders exploit them to control and exploit the populace.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Government | Peers the business of c confining the plain people to their proper political function of paying the taxes was managed by means of a standing army, but as men became more enlightened, and casier to fool, it was at length pos- sible to resort to the cheaper device of constitutional gov- ernment. Constitutional government cleverly defeats the will of the people by the people's y. It is called so because its chief instru- ment is a constitution, or covenant, which the people are induced to bind themselves by when they are in a transcendental mood and don't know whether they are afoot or on horseback, and which is couched in such terms as to preclude its amend- ment to the dis- advantage of the ex- isting order. Sometimes it is deemed expedient to have an elec- tive legislature, to flatter an ancient’ prejudice against taxation without representation, a judiciary for small thieves, and an executive to watch over the tional honor, but these things not essential. Under constitutional govern- ment nations have attained to a commercial prosperity hitherto unknown, and if that doesn't raise its superiority beyond ques- tion, what will? Too Soon ‘I AM thirty-five years old,” announced a woman of fifty- six ata tea last wee “And Tam twenty-six,” said the woman of for . Then turning to a girl of seventeen who stood near-by, she asked: “How old are you “Oh,” replied Ethel, “ accord- to present reckoning, I'm not born SL. een mene Re yet.” THE TWO LAMBS ‘Their favorite pealen RE: . “rly toep 15 MY SHTETHERD, # SHALL Nor WANT "WAS THE THXT OF A SERMON arceSTtY paescuro ay FATLURE implies effort; that APACHE CHIEF GERONIMO. is why some men never fail. comicbooks.com