Life, 1919-02-20 · page 10 of 34
Life — February 20, 1919 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a crowd gathered before a wall covered with socialist proclamations and bills, including references to "OSCULATION" (kissing), "BILL PASSES," and "CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT." The caption reads: "HAS HE GOT A GOOD HISTORICAL MEMORY? FINE, HE CAN REMEMBER WHEN THIS COUNTRY WAS A DEMOCRACY." This satirizes the Bolshevik revolution's contradictions—the new communist government promised democratic reforms but was consolidating authoritarian control. The crowd represents citizens observing the gap between revolutionary rhetoric and actual governance. The accompanying text discusses Russian and Western responses to communist "manacles"—comparing how different nations characterize Bolshevik policies—suggesting Life's critical stance toward post-1917 Soviet governance and its broken democratic promises.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
282 of course, in too many revolutions. By placing the whole matter in the hands of Mr. Hello- vich on a non-competitive basis we shall reach the millennium much sooner.” The present program, as outlined by Mr, Hellovich, is not only simple and comprehensive and direct, but conserva- tive. It includes, as a preliminary, the ! PA abolishment of the home, marriage, all fl ease gil ee nks, the army and the navy, the gov- : WAGE sraone pL KIS?» ernment, business and the press Z ! EET TION * qanunr RY DER . After that,” said Mr, Hellovich, {|| are owneRS §— 79 Bi THE we shall see, Hh HY BoC Tren IN CgNTROLOF TH RNCGENT A counter movement has been started tase FIR COVE by Rose Pastor Stokes, Eugene Debs, ‘ hourk LAW — John Reid, Upton Sinclair and Allan pes To REMOVE = PYE TO o Benson, who claim that Hellovich is TAILS DOGS py gyGUVid RES moving too slow. But, as our agitator | ‘a DEsZONOENT BUT KO DisOeApancs < D said only yesterday: ARE ANW Sg y That is the great trouble with these misguided people. They don’t unde stand that we must take things calmly and gradually, in order to effect a com- plete cure. For example, I would first give our leading capitalists a chance to retract, before killing them off. Who knows but what there may be some good in them after all?” As for our leading business interests, they have, we understand, expressed their satisfaction with Mr. Hellovich's definite pri As one of their representatives re- marked yesterday : After all, why should we die too lingering a death?” “LAS HE GOT A GOOD HISTORICAL MEMOKY 2?" “PINE, HE CAN REMEMBEK WIEN THIS COUNTRY WAS A DEMOCRACY.” Manacles Surprising HE Russian gets rid of his mana- * AS!” said the — philosopher, cles hy exploding a bomb under “woman is full of inconsister himself, cies.” The Frenchman gets rid of them by “To what do you especially refer’ filing them off with an epigram to the — nquired the interested observer. tune of the “ Marseillaise.” The German has them painted to sith me on one subject for nearly look like cuffs. week The Englishman calls a general elec- tion to reconsider them VENTS in Germany look very muc “To the fact that my wife agree Ot VER SINS WKS DEROLER FON HEN The American has a had habit of as if the Polsheviki had come home WORK WITH THE BAYONET!” kissir is munacles, to roost ° ‘omicbooks.com