Life — August 5, 1915 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a Secretary of Agriculture (identified by the document he holds) who implements strict farming regulations while remaining ignorant of agricultural realities. The "Department of Agriculture Revised Regulations" poster lists bureaucratic restrictions on farming practices. The Secretary, dressed formally in town clothes, is shown giving orders to confused farm animals and implements—depicted as bewildered, anthropomorphic creatures including what appears to be farm equipment personified as characters holding items labeled "Old Oath Bucket" and other farming tools. The caption's ironic question—"If he must remain in the cabinet, why not put him at something he understands?"—mocks his incompetence. The cartoon criticizes a disconnect between Washington bureaucrats and practical farming knowledge, a common complaint during agricultural regulation debates of the early 20th century.