Life, 1917-02-15 · page 15 of 42
Life — February 15, 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes wealthy industrialists and financiers who profited from high coal prices during what appears to be an energy crisis. The caption reads: "Let those who boost the price of coal gather their own fuel." The illustration shows top-hatted businessmen and well-dressed figures struggling to manually handle coal and lumber—physically labor that they'd normally have others do. The satire mocks their disconnection from actual work while they manipulated market prices for personal gain. The accompanying text about George Dewey emphasizes patriotic civic duty and loyalty to proper authority, suggesting these profiteers lacked such virtue. The overall message critiques wealthy elites for exploiting essential resources while avoiding any real consequences or labor themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ANOTHER OBJECT LESSON LET THOSE WHO BOOST THE PRICE OF COAL GATHER THEIR OWN FUEL Dewey, the American ORGE DEWEY was always a patriotic American citizen. In this he differed from many Americans. About one-half of our citizens are only loyal to the gov- ernment when it is administered by the political party to which they belong. When that particular party is not in power they condemn the President and the government officials unsparingly, criticise the orders for the army and navy, delight in making cheap jokes on Cabinet officials, make startling statements of incompetence based on no knowledge of circumstances—in fact, they are disloyal to the country, and the administration of its government by those lawfully selected by the mass of its citizens. Admiral Dewey was not made that way. He believed in his country and respected those charged with the administration of its laws. He did his duty and backed his government at all times and was loyal to those in authority. GOP AT: Have You Too Much Money? PENETRATING and highly unintelligible article on finance in Harper's Magazine concludes with the state- ment that funds “have been accumulating to such an ex- tent that money has for some time been practically a drug on the market.” All those who have suffered from too much of this well- known drug will please signify by the customary sign. A Referendum "PRE people of the District of Columbia are to vote on the subject of prohibition. Evidently Congress does not believe in privation without representation. MAGNATE: I see our shells passed the Fisst STE government test. Srconp Stee. Macnate: Good heavens! were intended for a foreign government. Those shells comicbooks.com