Life, 1914-01-22 · page 17 of 40
Life — January 22, 1914 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes inflated American expectations about the Panama Canal's economic impact on California. A man (appears to be a stereotyped Asian character named "Hon. Sago") listens as a speaker predicts the Canal will trigger explosive growth: booming cities, factories, real estate speculation, and even imported Parisian "culture" (the text mockingly lists "roof-gardens, smutt-plays, legs, cubists"). The joke's punchline: disgusted by these predictions of commercialization and cultural corruption—what the speaker calls "improvement"—Sago leaves threatening to blow up the Canal itself rather than witness California's transformation. The satire targets both uncritical American boosterism about the Canal and period anxieties about rapid urbanization, immigrant labor, and commercialism destroying natural landscapes. The cartoon's title, "Lucky Dogs," appears ironic: those profiting from development are the "lucky" ones, while the Canal symbolizes America's restless, destructive "progress."
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Finns, Yotts & Lusitanians would also arrive,” I snagger for statistics. “I listen for what next,” cor- rode Sago with Elb Hubbard expres- sion. “Well then. California cities which now contain nothing but corner lots will swell up to considerable bulkness. Booms everywhere. Where once was merely Nature growing flowers, soonly will appear sweat-shop, cigarette fac- tory, asphalt, emotion picture show and Tammany Hall. Cities will leap from nothing to something in one night. New fields of grafting will appear. Where once the lady coyote reared her young, now happy match-factories will be filled with child labor. Cities which now contain merely 10,000 souls and a few Japanese will jump up to a million census.” “This will be because of Panama Canal?" Hon. Sago make anarchy with eyebrows. “Entirely,” I lecture. “So many LUCKY DOGS ships from foreign far-away will walk into port, tired out from carrying rich wealth inside of them, that stampede of persons will come to each town for help get rich, or expect to. This will make real-estate hop so high that Na- ture will be for sale wherever found and Yosemite Valley will be chopped up into suburb lots for % price families while Yosemite Falls will make nice electric light plant for add handsome glimmer to Coney Islands which must be built.” Sago make n» reply for this intelli- gence. In short fact,” I say so, “ California will be considerable improved by in- rush of folks.” “Relate some more,” snuggest Sago, ng nervusness with bomb. Most best of all advantages what will be floated to California by that Canal will be Art,” I holla enthusely. “The Champagne-America Steamship Co expects to connect San Diego, Cal. with Paris by boats so that this in- creasing moneycipality need no longer send to New York for her culture, but can obtain from Paris direct, for ex- ceedingly low tariff, roof-gardens, smutt-plays, legs, cubists and indi- gestion.” “Tell me suddenly, for time flies off,” hypnotize J. B. Sago, “do you think Hon, Panama Canal will make each California city like New York?” “Yes, But considerable more,” I relate for happy smiling. Hon. Sago take his bomb by its pig- tail and start offwards. “O stop up!” I deploy. “Where you go with that angry bomb—to blow up Congress?” “No. To blow up Panama Canal!” dib Hon. Sago while he depart off lo ing unsafe. Hoping you are the same Yours truly Hasuimura Toco, (Per Wallace Irwin.)