Life, 1916-10-19 · page 26 of 42
Life — October 19, 1916 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques the disappointing results of New York's primary election system. The text argues that while primaries were meant to let voters nominate their preferred candidates, the system failed: strong candidates like Bacon and Osborn were overlooked due to late entries or organizational neglect, while weaker choices like Calder and McCombs prevailed. The central illustration depicts a child sitting in wet paint while adults (including the mother) react in dismay—a visual metaphor for messy political consequences. The caption's joke plays on the child's innocence: the mess spreads regardless of punishment. Below this is a brief dialogue between husband and wife mocking marital discord, presented as topical commentary rather than plot. The page reflects early 20th-century frustration with primary election mechanics in New York politics, suggesting that organizational politics still trumped genuine voter preference despite reform intentions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
676 Disappointing Primaries "pue idea of the new primaries was that the voters should be nomina- tors and put up men that they wanted. It does not work so yet, at least not in New York. Consider the primaries for senator. Mr. Bacon was late in getting into the field, and Mr. Calder beat him. It had not occurred to Mr. Bacon to run for senator until so late that the effort seemed a forlorn hope. Yet he got a big vote that showed he was really a stronger candidate than Mr. Calder. In the Democratic primaries for senator there should have been a chance to vote for Mr. William Church Osborn. No one had worked harder and done more to alleviate Democratic state government in New York in the last eight years than he. His name should have been before the voters. It wasn’t. For some reason unknown the Democratic organization finally passed him by and invited the nomina- tion of Mr. McCombs. Mr. Osborn seems to have been too polite to butt in. It is a great pity. Another time let us hope Mr. Bacon's example this year will be remembered, and candi- dates who think they are worthy will get into the running betimes. As for the senatorial primaries in New Jersey, there is nothing to say, except that the Germans and the Irish wanted Mr. Martine, and got him. We shall see whether they can elect him. He is an absurd man, and ought never to have been a senator, even from New Jersey. So far as known, there is nothing absurd about Mr. Freling- huysen, but heaven knows whether Jersey voters have the acumen to pre- fer him to Mr. Martine. 'O-DAY the world is caught be- tween the lowbrow atheist whose poor little brain chokes itself blue try- ing to swallow Darwin and Nietzsche and the highbrow reformer, social and religious, in whose heart smoulder the flames from Torquemada’s bonfires. USBAND: Has that fellow been making love to you? Wire: No. It only seems like love to me after living with you, SS “ BODBIE, HAVE YOU BEEN SITTING IN PAINT?” “YES, MAMA, BUT YOU MUSTN'T SPANK ME. YOU'LL GET IT ALL OVER YOUR ” MAND!