Life — June 26, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Base Libel" - Life Magazine Cartoon This page satirizes newspaper accusations against American armor manufacturers. The cartoon shows animals in human dress reading newspapers, with a grotesque creature sprawled below—likely representing a malicious libel or false accusation. The article defends manufacturers against charges of wartime profiteering and fraud. It acknowledges America's commercial dishonesty in various industries (food adulteration, false weights, credit fraud) but argues that ammunition and armor-plate manufacturers maintain ethical standards—they wouldn't dare compromise military equipment. The cartoon's beast represents the "base libel" itself: unfounded accusations. The animals reading newspapers suggest public consumption of these potentially false charges. The satire criticizes both reckless newspaper accusations *and* implicitly acknowledges why such accusations seem plausible given America's documented commercial corruption in other sectors.