Life, 1909-05-13 · page 5 of 32
Life — May 13, 1909 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine features a poem titled "Friends" by Ellis O. Jones alongside an illustration labeled "New Pastures—Fat Calves." The poem satirizes political alliances and friendships, using metaphors of the tariff and Congress. It mocks how politicians maintain friendships based on mutual benefit rather than principle, describing them as "monkeying," "tinkering," and ultimately "catastrophic" to dignity. The illustration shows cattle in a pastoral setting, likely representing the political figures being satirized as livestock—a common rhetorical device suggesting they are stupid or being herded. "Fat calves" may reference politicians fattening themselves on government largesse or tariff benefits. Without a specific date visible, the exact political controversy remains unclear, but the content targets corrupt political alliances and self-serving legislative behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A MAY DAY PROCESSION NEW PASTURES—PAT CALVES Friends HE tariff's with its friends— Ancient friends. What complete bewilderment their monkeying portends! How they tinker, tinker, tink, With the schedules and the rates, Letting on to make them sink, they wink; icks of the clown, Letting on to put them down, iting till the craze abates. Marking time, time, time, In their petty. puny crime, Which to the obfuscation of the voting cattle tends. Oh, the friends, friends, friends, friends, ends, friends, friends. Oh, the junketing and tink’ring of the friends. See the big, no-conscience friends! Brazen friends! What woe and dread catastrophe their dignity forfends! In the watches of the night, Out of sight, out of sight, As they plot, Heeding not The inhabitants’ sad plight Thinking only of the clamorous appealing of the trust, And how to fill the optics of the populace with dust. And no matter how it ends, Congress and the tariff will continue to be friends, Bosom friends, friends, friends, friends, Friends, friends, friends, Close, intimate and confidential friends. nis O. Jones. ADY: Will you send this rug on approval? SavesMax: Certainly, ma'am. Littir cies. her mother): Hadn't you better tell him to be sure and get it there on time, mamma? You know we give the party to-morrow night. HEER up, there'll be no dust on the windy corners of paradise comicbooks.com