Life, 1915-09-16 · page 21 of 48
Life — September 16, 1915 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon depicts two figures fleeing—one labeled "American Citizenship" and a horned devil-like creature. The caption, rendered in dialect, suggests incompatibility. **Context:** This satirizes President Wilson's Mexican policy (circa 1913-1916). The accompanying text chronicles U.S. interventions under Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, discussing failed support for various Mexican leaders: Huerta, Carranza, Villa, and Zapata. The article criticizes how American efforts to promote justice and democracy in Mexico produced chaos—looting, violence, and currency destruction. **The satire's point:** The cartoon mocks the notion that American democratic values can be "fitted" onto Mexico's political situation. The fleeing "American Citizenship" suggests these ideals cannot survive the Mexican upheaval. The dialect speech reinforces stereotyping common in period satire. The author argues Wilson should complete stabilization before Europe's war complications worsen the situation—framing Mexico as America's responsibility but acknowledging the impossibility of exporting American governance.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“IT NEFFER VOS A GOOD FIT, ANYVAY” selection of emissaries, the treatment of American property owners or resi- dents and other sufferers—Mr. Bryan had a great deal to do. His notion of a good man for any appointment that he could influence was naturally a man who had supported Bryan, His atti- tude toward Mexico, as toward every- thing else, was the attitude of the political exhorter and rooter for peace. The administration has leaned back- ward in its efforts to be absolutely straight in its dealings with Mexico. It has yearned and labored that justice and liberty should have every oppor- tunity to prevail there. They have had every opportunity, and after two years and a half of Mr. Wilson's exertions there seems to be no quarter of Mex- ico wherein justice and liberty are not on the run or hiding up a tree. No- body down there shows evidence of possessing the qualifications to coax these indispensable factors back into the administration of Mexican gov- ernment. It was represented to us that the Cientificos were a selfish lot who owned the country and the peons and exploited both to enrich themselves. So far as we know, that was true. We favored giving the mass of the people a chance. We would not recognize Huerta, and finally got him out. We had high hopes of Carranza. He turned out to be tragically unequal to his opportunities. We had high hopes of Villa, but they have been dashed. Villa as a bandit-revolutionist is still a force to be reckoned with, but as a constructive leader he is not promising. Zapata is equally unprom- ising except as a bandit. We have helped to lift the Mexicans out of the capitalist-Cientifico frying pan and de- posited them precisely in the bandit fire. The country has been looted, the women outraged, the people generally exposed to murder, robbery and star- vation, the currency destroyed. Never did better intentions produce more shocking results. Mexico is our job. We have given out that no one must meddle there but ourselves. If the Mexicans cannot straighten out their affairs we have got to do it for them. There is no time to lose. We still have a free hand, but the moment the war in Europe is over there may be complications. How does the Mexican situation differ from the Haytian situation? It is bigger; that is about all. Hayti was being pillaged by a lot of murderers, none of them capable 513 of government. Mexico is having about the same experience. Cuba would have had the same except for us; likewise the Philippines. Mr. Wilson has a year and a half left in which to get Mexico strightened out. Let us back him up in everything he does to that end. If he succeeds, well and good. If he doesn't succeed, the chances are that his party will lose the next election and the job will fall to some one else. Nevertheless, at any moment the European war is liable to take a turn that may frustrate all possibilities. When a great dam has burst and a huge flood threatens, it is an awkward time to suppress a local riot, But it is an even more awkward time to neglect it. EY =e g tweet! HE New York Constitutional Con- vention has run through its allotted time without interruption from war. That is lucky for New York. Nothing has distracted Elder Statesman Root and his coadjutors from the duties they undertook. They have sweated at them through a‘ hot sum- mer, and we have faith to believe that they have accomplished a great work. The thirty-three amendments that passed the convention include the short ballot, a reorganization of State de- partments, an executive budget and a revision of the judiciary. The Gov- ernor is to have much more power, more responsibility and twice as much salary as now, and will be expected to govern us much cheaper and better than we have been governed for many rs. The voters must still pass on these amendments, but a fair proportion of them favor good government and will probably accept the work of the con- vention. It was Mr. Root’s convention. That is the universal opinion. It did what he said, and scems justified in having the same opinion of its work that the Creator had of creation. What new labor can now be offered to Mr. Root to reward him for his incomparable services in our behalf? comicbooks.com