Life, 1920-02-12 · page 26 of 44
Life — February 12, 1920 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes wartime government overreach and political incompetence during the Wilson administration (likely WWI era, given references to Secretary Baker and Josephus Daniels). **"The Returned Tourist"** is a light joke about a woman returning from California, unable to appreciate the East anymore—establishing a tone of comparing different perspectives. **"Platform"** is the main satire: a mock political platform proposing radical elimination of government waste and control. It attacks: - The Congressional Record as "bunk and bull" - Prominent officials (Daniels, Lodge, Baker, Bryan) as failures - Government "experts" dictating daily life to citizens - Politicians on speaking tours wasting public money - Excessive taxation and regulation The cartoon's central image shows a woman at a piano while a man stands—likely representing "A Breath of Their Youth," suggesting nostalgic contrast with current government intrusion into private life. The satire targets progressive-era government intervention, high wartime taxes, and what the magazine viewed as bureaucratic tyranny—appealing to readers frustrated with regulation and taxation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Returned Tourist VER since mamma’s trip west. Nothing in the East is best: Massachusetts’ skics of blue Fade ‘neath California's 1 And all the sunny days remind her Of the West she’s left behind her! Platform HY doesn’t some po- litical party sweep the country with a platform like thi Immediate and com- plete climination of the government printing of- fice, including the Congres- sional Record of bunk and bull. Immediate and complete climination from public Josephus Daniels, Senator Lodge, Secretary Baker, Senator John- life of A BREATH OP THEIR YOUTH. and Albert Sidney Burleson. Incarceration for the rest of lis nat- ural life in a grape-juice factory of William Jay Bryan. Ban on all investigating committees for a period of at least one year, re- duction of taxes being made possible through the saving in this manner of hundreds of millions of dollars. Shooting at sunrise of all long- haired, wild-oyed government experts who (at the public expense) have been trailing all over the country tell- ing us how to eat, sleep, breathe, do business, bring up our families, make love and die. Instant death for any politician or statesman who rampages from coast to coast spilling alleged oratory at every city, hamlet and crossroads en route, Immediate enactment of anti-anti legislation providing for the fine and imprisonment of shaft son anyone who ceck to regulate the lives and mor: of Americans through legislation ng fines and imprisonment for peo- ple who live their lives differently from the way the antis think they should. Deportation of all profiteers, includ- already overpaid workers strike for still higher wages, ni! government employees who ar worth half what they get, and thos individuals who mark up the price goods simply because they know t can get it. Immediate reduction of income ti Immediate reduction of profits tax. Immediate reduction of amusement tax, Immediate reduction of luxuries tax Less government, less legislation, less talk, less playing of the politic game, and more enthusiasm for w and consideration of the American people as a whole. who exce comicbooks.com