Life — October 31, 1907 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1912 *Life* magazine page satirizes potential worst presidential candidates through humorous submissions from readers. The format lists numbered proposals (entries 27-31) nominating figures like William Randolph Hearst, Theodore Roosevelt, and John D. Rockefeller as deliberately bad choices, with satirical reasons appended. The cartoon "Big Bill" on the right depicts Secretary of State William Howard Taft as an oversized figure using a megaphone. The accompanying article questions whether Taft has secretly connected his boiler to railroad shafting—political satire suggesting Taft is merely an extension of other powerful interests rather than independent. The left cartoons labeled "The Sharpshooter" and "And the Victim" appear to illustrate political targeting themes, though their specific references are unclear from the image alone.