Life, 1915-03-11 · page 14 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page features a satirical cartoon addressing American military preparedness during what appears to be a WWI-era discussion of foreign invasion threats. The central figure is **Uncle Sam** (identifiable by his characteristic top hat with stars and stripes), holding a newspaper headline reading "NEWS ITEM: THE UNITED STATES UNPREPARED TO MEET FOREIGN INVASION." A small, anxious military figure (labeled "ARMY" and "NAVY") cowers beside Uncle Sam's leg, representing America's undersized military forces. The caption reads: "Don't be frightened, Uncle. We are here." The satire mocks the inadequacy of American military defenses while attempting false reassurance. The cartoon critiques the nation's unpreparedness for potential conflict, a common concern during the 1910s debate over military expansion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
410 Why Not State Constabularies 'HE shooting of strikers by hired guards in Roosevelt, New Jersey, was bad; very bad, indeed. But the flagging of a train by the strikers who went through the cars, searching for strike-breakers, was also bad. In these village rows between strik- ers and employers the law seems to take to the woods. The cure suggested for that condition in New Jersey is a State Constabulary. Why not? The enforcement of law ought not to be in green hands, nor should hired gunmen be necessary for the protec- tion of property and the operation of railroads. When labor and capital fall out, some qualified police force ought to be available to defend the public peace from both of them. The labor radicals look upon State constabularies as mercenary forces to help capital keep labor under. They should be nothing of the sort. They should be, and are, so far as we know, police forces, pure and simple, for the de- fense and maintenance of public order. Their office is as much to protect strik- ers in all their lawful rights as to protect employers. The system of hired guards is a pest, only tolerated because of the present lack of emer- gency protection, Beat It, Idlers! EOPLE without intellectual life are virtually under condemnation to hard labor, Unless their thoughts can give them wholesome occupation they must find it for their hands. Other- wise they cannot live well and must expect deterioration, But, unluckily for lazy people, the achievement of a good grade of in- tellectual life involves about as much work as anything else. Life without effort seems not to have been intended. The original plan was to have it end by starvation, and though people nowa- days get around that, they cannot altogether defeat the original inten- tion, “DON’T BE FRIGHTENED, UNCLE. WE ARE HERE” comichookg.com