Life, 1915-03-11 · page 43 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon-essay traces American economic development from discovery through industrialization to labor conflict. It depicts the progression: a discoverer finds land, pioneers settle it, a capitalist builds railroads assuming all risk, and finally "the People" emerge demanding ownership. The satire centers on a broken social contract. The capitalist agreed to build railroads in exchange for profit and control. When settlers become a collective "People," they demand the railroads be publicly owned—since their presence makes them profitable. The railroad owners invoke bond obligations (future financial commitments) as justification for refusing. The punchline—"The capitalists, however, did not do quite so much capitalizing"—suggests the compromise satisfied neither side: workers couldn't seize the railroads, but capitalists lost their anticipated monopoly profits. This likely reflects early 20th-century American debates over railroad regulation, public ownership versus private enterprise, and labor's growing political power.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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