Life, 1916-10-26 · page 9 of 46
Life — October 26, 1916 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the 1916 U.S. presidential election. The poem "Ballade of Regret" laments the lack of dynamic leadership, with repeated wishes that "T.R. was running!"—referring to Theodore Roosevelt, who had left the presidency in 1909. The satire criticizes the current candidates (appearing to reference Woodrow Wilson and Charles Evans Hughes) as uninspiring compared to Roosevelt's vigor. The poem mocks their bland campaign rhetoric and suggests voters miss Roosevelt's forceful personality. The bottom illustration, "Evolution of a Candidate," shows a face progressively degenerating across five panels—satirizing how candidates become worn down or diminished through the electoral process, or perhaps how their character deteriorates or becomes less defined. The overall message: nostalgia for Roosevelt's leadership during a disappointing election cycle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of Regret NTIMELY quiet leaves me doubting— Is this a Presidential Year? Then where's the tumult and the shouting That used to rend the atmosphere? The rival candidates appear (Opprobrious revilement shunning) To call each other “Love” and “ Dear.” Oh, how I wish T. R. was running! Smooth orators are gently spouting; But what our people want to hear Is one embattled leader flouting Another’s course in terms severe. What tepid phrases meet the ear!— “Now, aren’t Charlie's whiskers cunning!” And “ Doesn’t Woodrow’s chin look queer !”— Oh, how I wish T. R. was running! EVOLUTION OF A CANDIDATE I miss the thrill of Someone knouting The falsifying pamphleteer ; Reviving Saxon words in scouting A statement—well, as insincere ; Assailing front and flank and rear With language picturesque and stunning, And crowing loud as Chanticleer. Oh, how I wish T. R. was running! Envoi Voter, your Hughes is too austere; Your Wilson will not go a-gunning; The whole campaign is drab and drear. Now don't you wish T. R. was running? Arthur Guiterman, comicbooks.com