Life — July 13, 1916 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: "Mexico A Political Asset, Both Ways" This page critiques President Wilson's Mexican policy during the Mexican Revolution. The top cartoon shows a Mexican figure on "the Ladies' Links" (a golf course), suggesting Wilson allowed Mexico to be used for political purposes rather than protecting American interests. The lower illustration depicts a couple in formal dress with dialogue about a phonograph, likely representing the artificiality of Wilson's approach—performing solutions rather than implementing real ones. The accompanying article argues that Mexico's instability resulted from poor governance, not Wilson's Democratic administration specifically. It suggests Republicans blame Democrats for Mexican chaos, though the underlying problem was Mexico's inability to sustain competent republican government. The satire critiques how both parties weaponized the "Mexican problem" for domestic political gain.