Life, 1920-10-07 · page 32 of 56
Life — October 7, 1920 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes a fictional presidential candidate, Colonel Enos W. Spelvin, whose campaign appears absurdly vacuous and corrupt. **The main satire:** Spelvin's "Pine Cone Address" is mocked as hollow political rhetoric—he champions vague platitudes ("justice," "a square deal") while literally falling off the platform. The "big slush fund" headline suggests illegal campaign financing, and the mugshot-style portraits reference police headquarters, implying criminal activity. **The supporting jokes amplify the absurdity:** An Arab tumbling troupe arranges themselves as "S-P-E-L-V-I-N" to endorse him; baseball scores are inexplicably intercut into coverage; a $2 million fire in East St. Louis is attributed to Spelvin's "orator." **The overall point:** This is *Life* magazine mocking how American political campaigns rely on spectacle, empty slogans, and mass manipulation rather than substantive policy—a critique of 1920s political discourse that remains sharply relevant today.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“If you see it in the News - its Propaganda” N Partisan, FINAL EXTRA POSTSCRIPT RREEKRHKE VOL. XXLZPDQ! No. 34 Entered at the post office and relected as strletly third class lateerage) matter Price—s Pfennigs (D. SPELVIN BARES BIG SLUSH FUND FOR E aapaies Ser Spa Long-Awaited Pine Cone Address Stirs Hearers | Pine Coxe, Ont0.—Thousands | of members of the National As- sociation of Fig Makers and their wives heard Col. Enos W. Spelvin, Liberal candidate for the presidency, deliver a speech before thousands of members of the National Association of Fig Makers and their wives at Pine Cone Grove, Ohio, yesterday | afternoon. Salvos of applause. as well as cheer upon cheer, greeted the candidate's every Point Col. Spelvin devoted almost his entire speech to a develop- ment of his views on our for eign and domestic policy. He was enthusiastically cheered as he fell off the platform at the close of his address. Col. Spelvin's speech was as follows: “Members of the v Makers’ Asso: ing Fig- atior and ladies, God bless ‘em (Larghter and ap- plause), | am particularly glad to have this opportunity of ad- dressing you this afternoon, be- cause I feel that we are on the verge of a great national awak- ening Tam not afraid to. say this, because I know in my innermost heart that I am in the right. “And now let us turn to our domestic problems. Here at home we must have justice done. I come out flatfooted for Justice. regardless of the taunts of nm opponents. If I am offending any of you here by this state- ment, I am sorry. It cannot be helped, I was brought up to be outspoken. “This, in brief, is my stand. I point to it with pride.” LAT Informal portraits of Enos W. Spelvin snapped at Police Headquarte: thortly before he started to serve bie thtied teres in offen Arab Troupe Visits Spelvin Tumblers Proffer Aid to Cause Rumaze, On1o.— A troup of fifteen tumbling Bedouins visited the home of Enos W. Spelvin, Liberal candidate for the presi- dency, at Rumble, Ohio, yester- day afternoon, to assure him of their co-operation in his cam- paign. _ They were accompanied by their rubbers and_ trainers, who also expressed high admira- tion for the candidate. Assembled on the lawn of Col Spelvin's residence, the Oriental visitors so arranged themselves as to form the letters S-P-E-L- V-I-N, the three tumblers who were left over making an Ameri- can eagle. Col. Spelvin ex- pressed hims as delighted with the sincere and artistic demon- stration on the part of his well- wishers, In a short. speech of welcome, he reminded them that he had always stood for justice and a square deal for tumbling | Bedouins, and that they could count on him if he should be elected. EST BASEBALL WHITE RO: (Continued from Nintm Txxtxc—White Rox: leroy breezed. Eight hits Dubs: retired on a fast double play—D Diddle to Dumm to Diddle. Final score—White After the game the players of both teams a The umpires intend to support Blatch. vote for Spelvin for President. Med Six runs Glutz hit a home run over the center-field bleachers, but wa dle to Dumm to Diddle to Dumm to No hits. DUBS GAME ineteenth Page) iff fanned; Willis whiffed; Faunt Eleven runs. Rox, 0; Dubs, o. nounced that they would RACING LATONIA Fovarn Racr—1, Diabetes; Diabetes carried 118 pounds w heer Waste: includiny Home Hootch. pelvin campaign button worn by Schmall, the jockey pftpftpftshshshshshi [$8 sexe BIG $2.0000000 FIRE: IN EAST ST. LOUIS Blaze sweeps downtown districts when crowd is set on fire by Spelvin's oratory shrdlu Two Hurt in Odd Crash Victim Supports Spelvin Two men were hurt and pos- sibly many others injured when a taxicab driving northeast along Fifty-seventh Street collided with a mail truck traveling due south on Park Row The known injured are: John Swivel, widow, of 1020 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn; suf- fering from severe cont the left eyebrow. Marcus Minsk, florist, of Nome, Alaska suffering from ‘tonsi- itis. The men were engaged in a po- N. J., at_the time of the col- lision, and although it is not yet known what this had to do with the case, the drivers of both vehicles are being held pending investigation. Tt need hardly be added that Mr. Minsk, who i$ alleged to have won the fight, is a keen supporter of Enos ‘W. Spelvin for the presidency, and is spon- sor for the statement that the Eighteenth Amendment, as at Present constituted, is an insult to the patriotic sensibilities of every right-thinking American. Reds Double Cross Bug Spelvin’s Speech Aids Poles As a result of Col. Spelvin's recent anti-Bolshevist utterances, the demoralized Red army croased the river Bug in two places to-day, according to a re- port from the Assassinated Press, and engaged the Poles at Blwr- pfesclmpfsczl battle will not be known until the name of the locality has been decoded. ions of | litical argument in East Orange, | The result of the | ND OF WORLD * Second Day Advent Ring Back of Blatch Says Colonel Political circles throughout the country are in a high state of | excitement over the astonishing | and damaging disclosures made | by Enos W. Spelvin, Liberal candidate for the presidency, in | his speech before the Tatnuck Grange at Tatnuck, Ohio, last | night, in which ‘he accused Luther M. Blatch, the De gogic candidate, of collecting a gigantic campaign fund — fre the ranks of the Second Day Adventists, a religious sect which is attempting to exploit the end of the world. According to Col. Spelvin, evi- dence has been collected, and is now on file at Liberal headquar- ters, showing that during the months of July and August no less than two written appeals were sent out by George H. Gish, chairman of the Dema- gogic National Committee, + ing all Second Day Adventists to rally to the Demagogic stand- ard and to pay up their dues in the national ciation. This evidence will be produced at the proper time, according to Col. Spelvin. News Is Bombshell The news of these disclosures came like a bombshell in the Demagogic camp, and caused a sudden shift in the itinerary laid out for Maj. Blatch’s whirl- wind tour in behalf of his can- didacy. It is rumored that, in- stead of going to Chicago as planned, Major Blatch will avoid stopping at. the Windy Cit cond Day Adven' is said to run par- ticularly high. George H. Gish, Demagogic national chairman, when inter- viewed at Demagogic headquar- ters last night, issued the fol- lowing statement: “Tt has been called to my at tention that Col. Spelvin has made certain charges concerning the Demagogic campaign. fund Although I have not as yet read them, I may say that they are too silly to be answered. This is merely a smoke-screen thrown out by the Liberal party to ob- scure their own subservience to the moneyed interests of the country, proof of which I shall submit to the public in due time. I have nothing further to say, except that there is a certain pawnbroker in St. Louis who could tell a great deal about Col. Spelvin and a diamond stickpin which was mysteriously lost by a dinner guest of the Colonet’s several weeks ago.” comicbooks.comi