Life, 1918-05-09 · page 16 of 40
Life — May 9, 1918 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes a 1918 controversy over the "Spy Bill" and Senator Poindexter's proposed amendment that would criminalize "contemptuous language" about the President (Woodrow Wilson). **Colonel Theodore Roosevelt**, the former President, publicly declared he would challenge such a law as unconstitutional, claiming his right to criticize Wilson's wartime leadership. The article defends Roosevelt's right to speak freely, arguing that while he's a chronic critic of Wilson, his criticism hasn't harmed the President—and that suppressing such "scolding" would be unwise. The piece acknowledges the amendment's text was misreported and may never have actually passed the Senate, but uses the episode to defend free speech. The two cartoons are lighter asides: "American Aviation" shows Uncle Sam discussing paid eagles (military symbolism), while the recruiting scene below depicts a recruit unable to pronounce military documentation—comedic filler unrelated to the main political argument.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
756 Knocking the President HREATENED with depriv: his habitual solace in all the trials of war and private sufferings, Colonel Roosevelt declared, on April 6th, that if the “Spy Bill,” so called, became a law with Senator Poindexter’s amend- ment’ added, he would “certainly give the government the opportunity to test its constitutionality.” “ Whenever the need arises,” said the Colonel, “I shall in the future speak truthfully of the President in praise or in blame, exactly ion of as I have done in the past.” Sure! The Poindexter amendment pro- posed, or seemed to propose, among other things, a fine of ten thousand dol- lars and twenty years’ imprisonment for utterance of “contemptuous lan- guage” about the President, and that quite irrespective of the previous habits of the utterer. Applied to Colonel Roosevelt it would have involved cruel and unusual punishment, which is for- bidden by the Constitution, and he could doubtless have beaten it on that ground. He disapproves so heartily of most of Mr. Wilson's performance during the last five years that he can seldom get through a parcel of re- marks without violating Mr. Poindex- ter’s alleged amendment. All the same, the Colonel's criticisms have never done Mr. Wilson any harm, but quite the contrary, and Mr. Wilson is prob- ably the last man in the country who would want the Colonel to be choked off from scoffing at the Pres dent or fined and imprisoned because he had done it. If the Poindexter amendment, as it was described, were to become law it would have to be amended to exclude the Colonel from its operations. It has been explained, however, in the Senate that no such law as the Colonel denounced had ever been offered for the Senate’s approval. Senators de- clared on April 6th that the line for- bidding contemptuous allusions to the President was struck out before the bill even reached the Judiciary Com- mittee; but an erroncous copy of it seems to have been sent out, and mis- led the Colonel. It is not expedient that all the scolds should be suppressed by They are useful at times, in their way, and, Lesides that, they are picturesque. The = te AMERICAN AVIATION Unele Sam: Colonel is picturesque, and though it is obviously somewhat too near a toss-up whether it will cause him more anguish to win the war with Wilson or to lose it, still the Colonel has worked hard to beat Germany ; and certainly he has not hurt Mr. Wilson, and certainly he ought not to be suppressed by act of Congress. We must be kind and considerate to Medical Officer: CAN YoU READ THA’ GosH! 1 CAN READ IT, BUT 1 CAN'T PRONOUNCE IT. Recruit: BUT I PAID FOR A FLOCK OF EAGLES the Colonel, for he is a good man, suf- fering somewhat from homesickness, but a blazing patriot, a convinced and constant Roosevelt man, the most pic- turesque figure in the country, and otherwise decorative and useful. No law should gag, muzzle or discommode him in any way. No, no; of course not.