Life, 1919-08-14 · page 26 of 44
Life — August 14, 1919 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks Republican politicians who position themselves as potential presidential candidates while carefully avoiding commitment. The "Favorite Son" repeatedly claims flattery at being consulted, then contradicts himself—opposing the League of Nations as a "yellow peril," then later supporting it; rejecting various candidates (McAdoo, Borah, Wood, House) while hinting at his own ambitions. The joke intensifies when Mary Pickford appears: the "Favorite Son" reveals his true motives—not governance but seizing power to control policy and use Congress for personal gain (declaring treaties void, controlling military contracts). The top cartoon shows a tortoise (slow, steady) passing a broken-down hare (overextended, exhausted), likely referencing how cautious political calculation outlasts flashy ambition. The bottom illustration depicts Poor Jones's perpetual boarder—appearing only at vacation's end—paralleling how these "favorite sons" emerge only when political opportunity beckons, disappearing when actual work awaits.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
y Tortoise (to broken-down Hare): come ON Now! GIT THAT OL’ scow out o’ THERE! Favorite Sons CANNOT tell you how flattered I was at the Favorite Son’s sug- gestion that I call upon him. “I suppose,” he said, “that you will want to know my po- litical views. I am, to be sure, something of a sol- dier. Neither my party inclinations nor my ex- perience as a member of the Expeditionary Forces tends to make me a supporter of the present adminis- tration. If I may borrow a word from the greatest of all Americans, ‘ molly- coddles’ make poor governors.” “And the presidential timber? asked. “Not Senator Johnson,” he replied, “nor even Senator Borah. Mr. Me- Adoo? I scarcely think so, nor Colo- nel House. They are of the wrong party.” “ How about yourself?” I demanded. The Favorite Son blushed. T cannot tell you how flattered I was at the Favorite Son's suggestion that I call upon him. “T suppose,” he said, “ that—” “Quite right,” I answered. “ Pray, speak on.” “Tam not much of a speaker,” he replied loudly, and forthwith tossed his inkwell at a mosquito on my fore- head. “I am krown out West, where the handshake’s warmer, as a fighter. Whatever we do, we must avoid the yellow peril of the League of Nations. Nothing else matters except the Repub- lican party.” “And the next election?” I queried ‘ot House nor McAdoo,” he re- plied. “They are of the wrong per- suasion. Senator Borah? An excel- lent man, but too talkative. General Wood? A soldier, not a statesman.” “But yourself?” I suggested. The Favorite Son smiled. I cannot tell you how flattered I was at the Favorite Son's suggestion call upon him, “Will you please—?” “Much as [ dislike to,” he fessed, “I will. Since my retirement behind the screen I have preferred to watch my step and consult the almanac, We must have a League of Nations, if only to support the Party.” T begged con. Democratic hen, I may conclude—” I began. No Republican under any circum- stances,” he interrupted. —“ Colonel House might accept the position if the League of Nations did not require him in Geneva.’ “OF course, you—" But I was again interrupted — this time by the entrance of Mary Pick- ford. I cannot tell you how flattered I was at the Favorite Son's suggestion that I call upon him. “Good morning, sir,” said I. He threw back his head and laughed heartily. “ Think,” he shouted, “ of the fun I shall have when the President is really in my hands. I shall declare the Treaty at an end and read the specifi- cations for the Liberty motor into the Congressional Record.” “ And the future?” I presumed to ask. POOR JONES IS WONDERING WHY THIS BRAND OF BOARDER NEVER SHOWS UP TILL THE LAST DAY OF HIS VACATION comicbooks.conns