Life, 1917-02-15 · page 11 of 42
Life — February 15, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The illustration depicts a scene of political negotiation, likely from the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. A well-dressed man (possibly a Northern politician or official) stands among three women, suggesting discussion about governance and regional policy. The accompanying text addresses Southern political leaders, urging moderation in their demands for power and cautioning against attempts to monopolize national government. It explicitly references North-South tensions, Mason-Dixon's line, and debates over resource distribution between regions. The satirical "Method" section below mocks a corrupt tax collector's aggressive tactics, implying criticism of government overreach and bribery—common Reconstruction-era complaints about carpetbagger misconduct and administrative corruption in the occupied South.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
255 had all the offices that were powerful and all the glory. Don’t overdo it. One section of this country cannot long hope to run it all. Texas is a great state, North Carolina is a con- siderable state, Virginia is on the map, but there are others at least as impor- tant. Do not suppose that you can long exclude even the East from the government. Be moderate. Get the North back a little into office. Do not tease New York and Boston about their postal service. Get rid of the notion that it is a proper use of your power to contrive taxation so that it will fall upon the North, and direct expenditure so that the South will get it. Of course your services to the North have been enormous. You have been a blessed discipline to the Repub- lican party when it needed it the worst way. You have demonstrated that Southerners could run the country four whole years without bringing business to a standstill. To be sure, they have been exceptional years, but that won't show in the record. Be wise now in time. So far you have had great luck. The next four years are sure to be dif- ficult, and may be disastrous. If the bottom falls out, provide that a fair representation from north of Mason and Dixon's line shall drop with it. I'll set you the example. It is hard enough, Heaven knows, to find reputa- ble northern men of ability who ap- prove of my xeas and will work with us, but we have got to find them and work them in, or out we all shall go ourselves, and stay out, probably, a long time.” E. S. M. Method HE collector bounced into the of- fice and tore off his coat. He thumped the desk with his fist. He stamped on the floor. He poured out a torrent of profanity and vulgarity. A moment later he left the place with not only the amount of his Dill, but something besides, “T observed that popular evangelists know how to get money out of people, “DO-YOU BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?” and I studied their methods!” he ex- “WELL, WHEN I LEFT HERE, TWENTY YEARS AGO, YOU GIRLS WERE GETTING plained to the astonished bystanders ALONG TOWARD THIRTY, AND NOW I FIND YOU ABOUT FIGHTEEN.’ as he passed out. comicbooks.com