Life, 1912-06-06 · page 22 of 56
Life — June 6, 1912 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **Reed Smoot**, a real U.S. Senator from Utah (1903-1933), through a fictional dialogue between two versions of himself. The cartoon depicts Smoot and another figure discussing domestic troubles—specifically, multiple wives and marital chaos—which references Smoot's prominent role in anti-polygamy efforts despite his own polygamous Mormon background. The joke is bitter irony: Smoot entered politics hoping for "diversion" but finds himself trapped by domestic entanglements. The accompanying poem, "Yankee Justice," critiques American legal slowness by contrasting swift agriculture and commerce with justice that "jogs along / On Dillydally Lane" and "grubs along / The Graftandollar Ditch"—suggesting the legal system serves wealth rather than fairness. The "Coon Hunt" illustration (bottom right) appears unrelated contextually but typical of period satirical magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“You got SED SMOOT, grabbing Reed Smoot by the hand, led him over into a far corner. In the distance Salt Lake City, calm and glowing under the golden sun. “ There is no time to lose,” muttered Smoot; “they're likely to. be y moment. could be seen Reed upon us As he spoke he shuddered. Trem- bling in unison, they looked at each other fearful “How many are there now, broth- er?” “I haven't counted them since yes- terday morning.” “ There is “T fear no! Sitting down, they gazed at cach other mournfully. “TL thought,” said Reed Smoot, “that by getting into political life we would have some diversion; by going Washington occasionally we get out of but way——" on to would ourselves, they —' He looked over his shoulder, his ex- ‘LIFE Intimate Interviews LZ Amer, Meare Race me into it” ample being followed by the other Reed Smoot “Do you know,” he whispered, “ that there's a millinery sale to-morrow? Don't you think we would better take advantage of it?” “What! A Senator “Why not?) Cxsar used to walk the floor. Octavius attended bargain sales in Rome. k is beneath the dignity of a Senator. if we No domestic t et started at this sort of thing where is it going to end? There isn’t even any object in getting a divorce. We would have to hire a lawyer by the year to dispose of all the cases.” “Well, it’s not my fault; you got me into it. “Nonsense! You are just as sus- ceptible as I am. Why, you would lave gotten married every day in the week if I didn’t put a check on you. I am the sober end of this concern!” “Well, I—" At this moment there was a confused Yankee Justice Tt plow of Agriculture sweeps Across a mighty land, It runs its furrows broad and deet Through loam, and clay, and sav With gathering speed to meet the need With monster crops of grain— But Yankee Justice jogs along On Dillydally Lane! The wheels of Commerce swiftly t To conquer time and space, Its lightning messengers but fy To serve the human race, To guess, to know, with ins To sce the hour, and stri Bu s along nts ‘The wings of Art bear fast and fa The Beautiful and True, To tell the glory of the old, he graces of the new, > find the secret of the fair, The charm that doth bewitch— But Yankee Justice grubs along The Graftandollar Ditch! The unani- murmur rising in the distance. two Reed Smoots trembled ously. The murmur grew ne alizing that it was no use and ‘y must face the inevitable, they cpened the door to the first installment of their better-halves, who had just come to show them the Monday morm- ing department store advertisements, i i Hi Witt A COON HUNT “ FETCH ME THE AXE; THIS IS THE TR