Life — December 7, 1922 — page 37: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This Life magazine cartoon satirizes what appears to be corrupt or overreaching executive power during the early 1920s. A military/authoritarian figure stands in water claiming absolute authority ("monarch of all I survey"), while another figure nearby holds documents labeled "Bootleggers' Rights and Privileges" and "Dry Ruling." The footnote references specific men—Daugherty (likely Attorney General Harry Daugherty), Lasker, Wayne B. Wheeler (prominent Prohibition advocate), and foreign countries—suggesting the cartoon critiques either Prohibition enforcement corruption or broader executive overreach. The "Dry Ruling" label indicates this relates to Prohibition-era politics and alleged improper dealings between government officials and bootleggers. The imagery suggests ironic commentary on who actually holds power: not legitimate authority, but those involved in illicit dealings.