Life, 1921-02-24 · page 21 of 32
Life — February 24, 1921 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces targeting early 20th-century American politics and society: **"Foolish Bribe"** (main cartoon): A Black voter named Dave describes being offered money by both Republican and Democratic operatives to vote for their candidates. Dave accepts both bribes but votes Republican, reasoning the GOP candidate is "de least corrupt." The satire attacks election fraud and voter bribery as normalized practices, while the dialect and racial caricature reflect the period's offensive conventions. The joke's cynicism suggests widespread corruption across both parties was accepted as inevitable. **Other items** include brief comic exchanges ("An Exception to the Rule," "Definite") and a mock-scientific poem ("Ad Astra") typical of Life's humorous filler content. The cartoon's core commentary: American elections were essentially for sale to the highest bidder, with both parties equally guilty of corruption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FS per, ve no sees > silver, pLIEVED.” ; TO FIND February 24 Villager: WHAT, AMOS, YER AIN’T PUTTIN’ IN BOOKS TER SELL, BE YER? Amos (proprietor of general store): YES 1 BE. “HOW MUCH IS THIS ‘ERE ONE?” “ AIN'T FOR SALE YET, AIN’T READ ’EM YET.” Ad Astra (The Spiritual Devotions of a Red Cor- pucle on Passing Through the Vessels in the Web of a Frog’s Foot and Seeing the Exe of a Physiologist Peering Through the Tube of a Microscope.) REAT cell divine, with nucleus of blue, long have I struggled with this restless urge That now o'erfloods me like a sacred surge, AsT behold the glorious form of you. Long, long I strove, vain creature of the fall, Against the sure insistence of thy call, Soccored my soul with plasma’s empty pride, Laughed when the irreligious enzymes lied About thyself. Still thou art not denied. Tast aside all things to which I clung; 0 loving friend of sinning cells, “I come”! An Exception to the Rule OKUs: by just letting things slide. A man never gets anywhere RUS: How about the trombone Payer? Definite OET: Can you lend me five until pay day Frrenp: What d'you mean, pay day? “The day I pay you.” 283 Foolish Bribe ROSECUTING ATTORNEY (inves- tigating election fund): Dave, what happened to you before you reached the polls? Dave (an old negro): fust thir said: “ Dave, heah’s four dollahs; I want Well suh, the suh, a man stopped me an’ you to go right down to de polls an’ vote for Mr. Brown; he’s the Republican can- didate for Congress and a very fine man.” Prostcutor: Did you take the money? Dave: O, And then, as I wuz yassir, I took de moncy. goin’ on down de street another man stops me and says: “Dave, b to go right down to de polls an’ vote for ah’s seven dollahs; I want you Mr. Rogers; he’s the Democratic nominee for Congress and a very fine man.” Pr uTor: Did you take that money, 00, Dave? Dave: O, yassir, I took dat money, too, suh, Prosecutor: Then, Dave, how did you vote? Dave: Well, suh, after speculatin’ quite a spell, suh, as to what a niggah ought to do in a case ob dat kind, suh, I walks right into de polls and votes de straight Repub- lican ticket, suh, cause I figgered, suh, dat dis here Republican man, he war de least corrupt ob de two. ORE Person out of every thirteen has a car. The rest are held up by a traffic cop to watch them go by. Golf Enthusiast (to vanquished burglar): 1 SUPPOSE _YOU NOTICED THAT 1 DID ALL THAT WITH MY MID-IRON? comicbooks.com