Life — November 9, 1922 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon from *Life* magazine satirizes the 1918 midterm elections through a Halloween-themed image. A frightened figure labeled "GOP" (Republican Party) cowers before a ghostly specter labeled "The Record of the 61st Congress" while a sign marks "Fall Elections." The satire suggests Republicans feared voter backlash over the legislative record of the 61st Congress. The ghost imagery implies this record would "haunt" them during the election campaign. The cartoonist uses the specter as a visual metaphor for past political failures or unpopular policies that would materialize as electoral consequences. The joking title "Ha'nted" plays on both "haunted" and the abbreviated "Ha" sound of Halloween mockery, emphasizing the Republicans' anxiety about their political legacy.