Life, 1913-12-18 · page 19 of 40
Life — December 18, 1913 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two satirical pieces about early 20th-century American politics. **"The Ultimate" cartoon** depicts a ship balanced precariously on a woman's head, satirizing the women's suffrage movement. The text criticizes "suffrage sisters in Washington" for demanding the President endorse a constitutional amendment for voting rights. The author argues suffragists are fortunate that suffrage can be won state-by-state rather than requiring national consensus, and mocks Mrs. Belmont (a prominent suffragist) as "impetuous," suggesting her activism is counterproductive. **The second item** concerns William W. Rockhill, recently recalled as U.S. ambassador to Turkey. The text humorously suggests wealthy foundations (Carnegie, Rockefeller) should investigate whether Rockhill needs financial assistance, implying diplomatic posts paid poorly and that his "valuable experience" might be needed again—a backhanded compliment suggesting he's useful but possibly destitute. Both pieces use satire to critique political figures and movements, characteristic of *Life*'s editorial approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE ULTIMATE they shall vote for, and somehow their leaders will get together and talk it over. We shall sce how that will be managed, but managed it will be some- how. And if we are to have direct primaries it seems obvious that we must have the short ballot—not vote for so many candidates, but only for representatives and a few responsible executives, leaving many of the offices which we now fill by election, to be filled by appointment. HE suffrage sisters in Washington got little sympathy in their de- mand that the President in his message Wit should call on Congress to start an amendment to the Constitution confer- ring suffrage on women. The Presi- dent doubtless knows how he feels about woman suffrage, but he has not disclosed his sentiments, much less in- truded them upon Congress. He was once an instructor at Bryn Mawr and can hardly have missed any point in the program of the women who wish to be all things to themselves. It is the best luck in the world for the suffragists that their cause does not need an amendment of the Consti- tution, but can work along state by state, and win wherever it finds favor. If that was the case in England that country would be a good deal more peaceful. There the decision for or against votes for women has to be made for the whole country at once. Here we have local option about it, and the innovation can be tested first in communities that are ready to re- ceive it. On communities that are not ready there is no use of trying to force it. Doubtless Mrs. Belmont will not admit that, but the antis could hardly ask a greater piece of good fortune than to have the suffrage movement controlled by that impetuous lady. R. WILLIAM W. ROCKHILL, lately our ambassador in Turkey, has been recalled from that employ- ment, and seems to be on the way back to civil life. He may be a rich man; the papers do not say. We hope he is, and probabilities favor it ,because un- less he had ample private substance he could hardly have subsisted as am- bassador in Russia, or even lately in Turkey. But will some of the Carnegie or Rockefeller Foundations that are looking for benefits to do, please inquire privately into Mr. Rock- hill’s circumstances and arrange if necessary to keep the wolf from his door, because he has a very valuable diplomatic experience covering nearly thirty years, and we may need pres- ently to use him again in our diplo- matic business? . comicbooks.com