Life, 1915-11-25 · page 21 of 44
Life — November 25, 1915 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This political cartoon satirizes American imperialism in the Philippines during World War I era. The illustration shows a well-dressed man with a whip (representing American authority/colonialism) commanding various figures trapped in buckets—caricatured representations of Filipinos and other colonized peoples—back into submission. A leopard at right appears to symbolize disorder or wildness. The accompanying text debates Philippine governance: Representative Miller recently visited and reported that Governor Harrison has reversed American colonial progress. The article frames this as a conflict between "Do-as-you-like" (self-government/anarchy) versus "Do-as-you're-told" (imposed order). The satire critiques American hypocrisy—claiming to fight for democratic ideals in WWI while maintaining authoritarian colonial control. The cartoon's title mocks the contradiction: America demands obedience from colonized peoples while publicly championing freedom.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
stop it by withholding supplies to the Allies is fair on the surface and rotten at the heart. It is advice to let dynastic militarism win; to let the war against war, so terribly costly, fail at last. Back of his plausible proposals there stands, not Christ, but anti-Christ; not justice and mercy, but treachery. We can't do much, we don’t do much, but what we are doing is right as far as it goes, and we should stick to it, as of course we will, to the end. THE Philippines are being hauled forward to the firing line, where they can be made to participate in next year’s presidential campaign. Repre- sentative Miller of Minnesota has been “GET BACK IN YOUR PLACE” out to inspect them, and has brought back word that Governor Harrison has diligently undone most the good that American rule in the islands had dili- gently accomplished. We have all heard this before (which is nothing against the truth of it), but we don’t know how true it is, nor how bad it is, if true. Do-as-you-like is in active conflict at this time in this world with Do-as-you're-told. Do-as-you-like means self-government; Do-as-you're- told means government by a super- imposed intelligence, German-fashion. The Teutons, as we see it, are fighting for Do-as-you're-told; the Allies for Do-as-you-like. Do-as-you-like heads always towards anarchy; Do-as-you're- told towards despotism. Do-as-you're-told took hold of the Philippines and ran them a dozen years, apparently to good purpose. Then comes along the Do-as-you- like ideal, and we hear these com- plaints that the fat is all in the fire. We shall hear more of them in the next six months, and our whole Philip- pine policy and purpose is likely to be an issue in the next presidential cam- paign, provided it is not crowded out by too many issues that are bigger. Just now the American mind is exceed- ingly averse to governmental com- pulsions except for over-zealous busi- ness men and corporations. But a choice of compulsions is about all that offers in this world. Do-as-you-like is only practicable as long as it works, and it only works as long as it can pay its way and defend its possessions. To do that it must keep order and stand off invaders, and that it cannot do un- less it submits to discipline. So in the long run it works out that for all peo- ple, Filipinos, Mexicans, I. W. W.'s, Germans, English, French, Russians, self-discipline or discipline from with- out is all the choice there is. comicbooks.com’