Life, 1922-08-31 · page 15 of 36
Life — August 31, 1922 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s Life magazine page satirizes Senator **Sounder** (a fictional character), who claims to have abandoned old-fashioned oratory ("Stars and Stripes" patriotic speeches) for a newer, more sophisticated speaking style. The satire works on multiple levels: Sounder boasts of intellectual superiority while actually pursuing trivial Senate politics—moving committee meetings around, squabbling with rival Tom Watson, and generating hollow disputes. The cartoons mock his pretensions: one shows him struggling physically with an opponent; another depicts him struggling to hoist a crowd of eager office-seekers. The statistics at bottom (insults offered, facts presented) suggest he's accomplished little of substance despite his grandiose claims about reforming Senate oratory.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ASHINGTON, August 29.— For some little time I have realized that my. work has not been up to top form. No matter how feelingly I referred to the fair flag of our motherland, or how earnestly I beat my breast in 100% American- ism, my speeches failed to hold my audience. . For a while I thought the trouble was with my digestion, which has been a little off ever since a dinner at the White House last month, when, just be- tween you and me, the mayonnaise wasn't quite right. But in spite of consuming yeast cakes by the gross and positively bushels of raisins, neither my digestion nor my oratory returned to normal. Then in listening to Senator Watson of Georgia one day, the truth dawned on me. Senatorially speaking, the Stars and Stripes are obsolete; Americanism, which used to net us 100% returns, isn’t good for more than 15% now. In short, the younger men in the Senate, with their disregard of time- honored procedure, have built up an entirely new school of public speak- “This afternoon, Gunboat Watson, the Georgia hurricane, willing to meet all comers.” - LIFE .- Sounder Discards the Stars and Stripes In Favor of the Newer School of Oratory But I am not the man to be left behind. Determined to bring myself up to date at once, I made a careful analysis of recent is- sues of the Congressional Record. Taking the speeches on the tariff, for instance, I worked out the tabu- lation that appears elsewhere on this page. When I really get into the swing of the new movement I feel confi- dent of being able to wrest the leadership away from Tom Watson, although at the present writing he is 47 insults and 22 challenges ahead of his nearest competitor. But in the defense I have prepared of the Ship Subsidy bill I feel that I have equalled anything yet put forward by him. In this brilliant plea I prove that all newspapers hostile to the bill are controlled by some power- ful advertisers, that all senators questioning my facts are liars, and that I will meet any of them outside. My influence is already making itself felt. Always the practical man, I have offered a bill designating the little-used room of the Committee on Patents as the “outside” to which the speakers are constantly referring. At present if two Senators wish to take each other up on that little meeting outside, they might spend half the day looking for each other round the Capitol. It’s just as well to have everything understood be- forehand. If the committee room meetings are at all successful I should advo- cate moving them to the rotunda and Speeches on tariff.. Important facts brough Other facts opening them, at a modest fee, to the public. . We could take in quite a bit of revenue for the .Government with some such bill as “To-day at 3 P. M. for the championship of the Federal Reserve Board: Sailor Glass © vs. Spider Heflin, 10 rounds; referee, C. Coolidge”; or, “Double attraction to-day; Biff Lenroot vs. Gunboat Watson, the Georgia Hurricane; and Battling Willis vs. Kid Caraway, the Arkansas Wonder.” Sounder. cw “Might spend half the day look- ing for each other.” Insults offered (earned and unearned). Insults retracted Prominent personages ass Offers to meet senators outside. Offers accepted * That it is the best tariff bill ever written. + That it is the worst tariff bill ever written, comicbooks.com