Life, 1917-09-20 · page 14 of 40
Life — September 20, 1917 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece criticizes Secretary Daniels (likely Josephus Daniels, Navy Secretary under President Wilson) for his refusal to cooperate with the Navy League, a civilian organization seeking to support naval preparedness. The cartoon depicts Daniels rebuffing representatives, suggesting he's more concerned with his own bureaucratic control than supporting the military or dependent families of enlisted sailors. The accompanying text reveals Daniels refused to permit the Navy to accept insurance donations for sailors' families, citing administrative principle over practical need. The satire mocks his rigid adherence to protocol while the Navy League attempted charitable work, portraying him as obstructively self-serving rather than genuinely protective of naval interests or personnel welfare.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Rembrandt's Father 1M WORRIED ABOUT THAT SON OF OURS, WIFE HE WASTES SO MUCH TIME MESSING ABOUT WITIL THAT DIRTY PAINT, I FEAR HF'LI. NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING T is generally believed that Secretary Daniels, although a futile person, has good intentions. If his intentions were patriotic in his recent action toward the Navy League, appearances are misleading, He says, in a statement to the public: Persons who contribute to the Navy League in the future will do so with the understanding that the Navy Department will not permit the acceptance of anything whatever from the organization as at present officered and managed. The recent little scrap between Sec- a d the president of the League was lively. Too had it had to end so soon. However, there is iumination in the following ex ‘act A Unique Secretary from Mr. Thompson's circular to mem- hers of the League: For some time, for reasons known to himself, Secretary Daniels has been unwilling to co-operate with the Navy League. When we offered to provide a committee and funds to look after the dependent families of the men who were enlisting in the navy, he refused us the opportunity. When we offered to donate fifty mil- lion dollars of insurance to the men of the navy, without cost to them, he refused to permit them to accept it When, in order to secure co-opera- tion, I and your Executive Seere- tary, Captain W. H. Stayton, offered to resign in favor of someone to be selected by President Wilson, he de clined 10 accept our offer. He has now demanded my resignation, be- cause he is displeased with a bulletin which was issued as a matter of r uutine, without my personal knowl- In the meantime there is one ody thing for us, as loya to do, and that is, ADMINISTRATION WHOL \ THE PROSECU WAR, 4 DO THIS I PI Cordially yours, Ronewt M, Toatrsos Despised by the officers of the navy, s, and deeply re- xretted by the general public, Mr Daniels’ position is a hard one. But, at least, he should work for the na not against it, ridiculed by the s