Life, 1916-05-25 · page 10 of 40
Life — May 25, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article and accompanying illustration satirize American militarism following the army's expansion to 149,000 men. The cartoon depicts a man in civilian clothes standing outside a "Dincville" store, surrounded by soldiers and military equipment, asking "What does this country want with a Navy, anyhow?" The satire mocks concerns that military expansion threatens civilian life and democracy. Referenced figures—Henry Ford and Jane Addams—express fears that a large standing army corrupts civilian values. The piece humorously advertises for an "American dictator" to manage the military state, suggesting that militarization logically leads to authoritarian rule. The smaller illustration shows soldiers on ground maneuvers, emphasizing the physical military presence invading American civilian spaces.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
982 Militarism Now Rampant Our Army Moves on Washington— Terrible Times Coming! 'HE worst is now feared. Since the increase of our army to 140,000 men under the Hay bill, the spirit of militarism seems to possess our troops. That the situation is serious is now ad- mitted by everyone. Henry Ford, when interviewed, said: “T knew how it would be. I told you so, With a couple of thousand troops, each one of them carefully guarded from firearms, and only two machine guns in the country, we were compara- tively safe. Now all hope is lost.” Yesterday morning a vast horde of 1,500 regular troops moved on Wash- ington and captured the Capitol with scarcely any resistance, except that Con- gressman Claude Kitchin held them off for several hours with a speech. Many of the soldiers succumbed, but enough: were left to carry on the deadly work. “Tt was bound to come,” said Jane Addams. “1 knew positively that any increase in our army would result in this horrible condition, The question now is, Who will be dictator? Several have already applied for the job. The army advertised yes- terday in all the morning papers for a good man. The advertisement read as follows: Wanted: A good, reliable dictator for the American people under the new régime. One who knows how to exe- cute a coup d’ctat before breakfast every morning without turning a hair. We want a man who is thoroughly familiar with all of the latest methods ae} THE FIRST DAY ON THE LINKS—AS IT SEEMS TO THE GREEN CADDY “WHAT DOES THIS COUNTRY WANT WITH A NAVY, ANYHOW?” of insulting private citizens by officers. Also one who can declare martial law and inspire every man, woman and child with terror, Apply at the former mayor's office. Line forms on right. The history of how our army became supreme cannot be told at length. § fice it to say that when we had an army of thirty or forty thousand men, not a single soldier thought of power. All was serenity. With the exception of the fact that we were being invaded by Mexico and Germany, there was not a cloud in the sky. The moment, how- ever, that the army got to be over one hundred thousand, and some citizen (we don’t know who he is) donated a few rifles and a couple of rounds of ammunition, then our army lost control of itself. The work of abolishing the Constitution took one morning. Con- gress went next. “This alone,” said the Commander-in-Chief, “ is worth the price of admission to a new régime.” As soon as we get a good all-around dictator, things may settle down, In the meantime the ravages that our army of 140,000 are committing are very terrible. Boston surrendered yes- terday. Every householder was or- dered to deliver a pot of baked beans on the Common before o'clock. “With one of the sacred hulwarks of a former democracy being desecrated,” said a prominent resident, “what can we hope for the future?” comicbooks.com