Life, 1917-12-27 · page 14 of 41
Life — December 27, 1917 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1917 cartoon satirizes Secretary of the Navy Daniels' cost-cutting policies during WWI. The sketch shows what appears to be a naval officer (likely representing Daniels) in an ornate interior discussing expenses with subordinates. The caption reads: "It seems kind o' strange, Ensign, this place must cost master forty thousand a year, an' there's is in the trenches, gettin' thirty dollars a month." The satire critiques the disparity between lavish naval administrative spending and meager soldier compensation. The cartoon's title, "The Democracy of War," ironically comments on how America's supposedly egalitarian war effort maintained stark inequalities in resource allocation—officers enjoyed luxury while enlisted men suffered on inadequate pay.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE DEMOCRACY OF WAR Butler: 11 SEEMS KIND 0’ STRANGE, 'ENRY, THIS PLACE MUST. COST MASTER FORTY THOUSAND A YEAR, AN’ THERE 'E IS IN THE TRENCHES, GETTIN’ THIRTY DOLLARS A MONTH. Apropos of Sweaters APROPOS of sweaters, for some reason the men who are in the navy do not seem to agree with Sec- retary Daniels, who recently pooh- poohed the idea that the patriotic women of America were doing valu- able work in making sweaters for the men of the navy. A report from the Navy League as of November 23rd, 1917, say “The demand for the articles (gar- ments of all kinds) from the men of the navy as well as from other branches of the government is, even at present, so great that it is difficult to meet it promptly.” Private reports received from many sources indicate indisputably that the sweaters and mufflers, wristlets and socks knitted for our soldiers and sailors by American women have been simply invaluable. In many cases the men have been without adequate clothing. Common experience demon- strates that as an all-around garment to protect one from the cold, there is nothing more serviceable than a sweater. Keep up the good work, ladies, in spite of Secretary Daniels! The work- ings of the Secretary’s mind have long caused apprehension among friends of our navy. Evolution of Barbarism “IT'S getting so Germans rebel against going down in subma- tines.” “Why, pretty soon they'll be afraid to kill defenseless women and chil- dren.” comicbooks Bvag