Life — July 23, 1914 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Commentary on Prohibition This page satirizes Prohibition and an unnamed congressman's inconsistent stance on alcohol. The main illustration depicts "London Bridge is falling down"—likely referencing the famous nursery rhyme to suggest societal collapse. The text describes a congressman who publicly opposes alcohol but privately admits he drinks and objects to *forcing* beliefs on others. He's elected on a prohibitionist platform yet cannot reconcile his personal behavior with his public position. The cartoon criticizes hypocrisy: politicians advocating strict prohibition while personally indulging. The small illustration showing a man claiming he can't marry due to lack of wealth underscores the era's tensions around personal freedom versus public morality—key issues during Prohibition (1920-1933).