Life, 1922-09-07 · page 19 of 44
Life — September 7, 1922 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a propagandistic political cartoon by Goldberg attacking Senator Arthur Smuck Givney over the proposed "Givney Bill"—legislation apparently threatening the American herring industry. The cartoon depicts Uncle Sam as a tall figure holding a report about the bill's damage to the herring industry, standing over a craven figure (identified as Givney) whom he crushes underfoot. Surrounding elements include "Capital" and "Labor" supporting an "Infinity" tower, representing American industrial strength, while various symbolic figures (Ignorance, Ash Can, Finger of Scorn) represent opposing forces. The accompanying text urges readers to write Congress opposing the bill, framing support for the herring industry as patriotic duty. The rhetoric is intensely nationalist, suggesting Givney's bill represents betrayal of American workers and interests. Without knowing the bill's actual contents or date, the cartoon's exact historical context remains unclear, but it exemplifies early-to-mid 20th-century protectionist sentiment dressed in patriotic language.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE — SUNDAY EDITION FINGER OF SCORN HOW LONG SHALL THIS GO ON? A PICTURE AND A LESSON Study the picture above. Study the facts as Mr. Goldberg has Presented them in his powerful cartoon. They tell the story better than mere words could. Then decide which side you are going to be on in one of the greatest problems that has ever faced our COUN- TRY. As a thinking AMERICAN there is only one side you CAN take! That is the side of RIGHT and PROTECTION FOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY! The FACTS are clear. There is nothing any red-blooded AMERICAN can do after such an appeal to his in- tellect, except to sit down now and WRITE to YOUR CONGRESS- MAN. TELL HIM JUST HOW YOU FEEL. Tell him that if the GIVNEY BILL passes you will put him on a ROLL OF DIS- HONOR, which his TRAITOROUS name will lead! The AMERICAN PEOPLE LOVE THEIR HERRING. They have every right to love it, just as they have every right to love the air they breathe and all like that. Mr. Goldberg leaves us to guess the identity of the craven figure under Uncle Sam’s foot. YOU KNOW WHO IT IS! AND I KNOW WHO IT Is! IT IS SEN- ATOR ARTHUR SMUCK GIVNEY, the father of the Anti-Herring Bill, the BLACKEST spot on the BLACKEST Page of our history! FIGHT IT! comicbooks.com