Life — April 20, 1922 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Satire from Life Magazine This page contains two distinct satirical pieces: **"The New Transmutation"** mocks the Seputcher Whiting Company's claim to have created a "glistening, non-corrosive covering for all traders or punishable exteriors" for political purposes. The satire suggests politicians use such whitewash to obscure scandals. The piece lists absurd product names (like "Billy Sunday Polish" and "Anti-Saloon League Kalsomine") to ridicule the era's reformers and their rhetorical tactics. **"Are Congressmen Intelligent"** presents a mock questionnaire supposedly submitted to Congress by Mr. Edison, filled with practical questions about costs and efficiency—sarcastically implying Congress cannot answer such basic calculations. **"Conclusive Evidence"** (the cartoon) shows an asylum visitor questioning the warden about an inmate's sanity. The punchline—"He lost money in the butcher business during the war"—suggests wartime profiteering was so rampant that *not* getting rich seemed insane.