Life, 1916-06-01 · page 13 of 44
Life — June 1, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon:** Depicts a "severe 'staffing' for submarine commander who sank the Sussex." The exaggerated figures around a dining table appear to be military and political officials celebrating or toasting. This references the 1916 sinking of the Sussex, a ship torpedoed by Germany, which caused American diplomatic outrage and nearly triggered U.S. entry into World War I. **"We Have with Us" Section:** Praises Elihu Root (shown in portrait), a distinguished statesman, former Secretary of State and War, Nobel Peace Prize winner. The text satirically suggests Root could "probably never be President," implying public preference for less qualified candidates—a commentary on American political judgment. **"His Choice" Section:** A brief anecdotal joke about jury duty and courtroom procedure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SEVERE “ STRAFING” FOR SUBMARINE COMMANDER WHO SANK THE SUSSEX We Have with Us Elihu ROM the time that the first Con- gress assembled in Philadelphia, there has always been among us a superior class of statesmen in cach generation who have been too able to become President. Even as I speak, you are all thinking, I know, of Alex- ander Hamilton, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and James G. Blaine; and pos- sibly also you are now thinking of the distinguished man to whom I am to have the honor to present you. Certainly, my friends, he is most distinguished ; certainly he is most able. There are many who think that he is the ablest man we have in public life to-day. His counsel is sought after; his opinions are respected; his high order of intellect is uni- versally admired. Many unkind things have also been said about him; yet perhaps the source of these unkind things is their most effective refutation. He has been Secretary of State—some say our best one—and Secretary of War. He has been awarded the Nobel peace prize, that anomalous offering that is now going begging in the highways and byways of Europe; he has presided at national conventions, been president of the Pan-American conference, United States Senator, and—cither to add to his laurels or to take away from them, as you will—he has evolved a constitution for the State of New York as mys- terious as a novel of Henry James and as unpopular as a Bryan Chautauqua lecture would be at an annual meeting of the Union League Club, On the whole, we like him very much. Maybe the fact that he could probably never be President is one of his strongest claims upon immortality. We trust that his counsels may long prevail among us, duly tempered by such ad- vice and moral adjustment as we may feel desirable to give him. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the name of our distinguished com- patriot, Elihu Root. His Choice HE judge looked over at the prisoner and said: “You are privileged to chal- lenge any member of the jury now being impaneled.” Hogan brightened. “ Well, thin,” he said, “yer Honor, Oi'll foight the shmall mon wid wan eye, in the corner, there forninst ye.” comicbooks.com