Life, 1925-06-25 · page 21 of 37
Life — June 25, 1925 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s *Life* magazine page satirizes the failure of Prohibition enforcement. A new U.S. District Attorney arrives in New York promising strict enforcement, but immediately admits to reporters it's all "blah"—he won't actually enforce it, only *claim* to for publicity purposes. The joke hinges on hypocrisy: the Attorney cynically acknowledges Prohibition is unenforceable (most people oppose it) yet plans to performatively raid cafés anyway for media attention. Reporter Byron T. Wilburforce, the only one not shocked, represents the cynical press complicit in this charade. The cartoons above illustrate the absurdity: one about a honeymoon couple at Niagara Falls with a suggestive punchline; another about taking labels "seriously." These reinforce the theme that nobody—not officials, not the public—takes Prohibition seriously. The piece mocks the law's fundamental failure and the corruption of law enforcement during Prohibition's early years.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHERE SHALL WE GO ON OUR WEDDING TRIP—NIAGARA FALLS?” 0, I'VE BEEN THERE.” “WHY, [ DIDN’T KNOW YOU'D BEEN MARRIFD BEFORE!” True Story States District Attorney came to New York and all the people who lived there, including members of the Italian colony, cried out joyfully, saying : “Goody, goody! Now the Prohibition law will at last be enforced and we shall really have no more of this terrible red wine and beer.” But alas for their hopes! Hardly had the new Attorney stepped into office than he called the newspaper report- ers to him and sai “Of course, this busin about enforcing the Prohibi- tion law is a lot of blah. You can’t enforce a law where most of the people don’t want it enforced, and personally, too, I think that Prohibition is a washout. W ss it seems that once upon a time a new United and making New York as dry as the Sahara Desert?” “I shall probably make such a statement,” admitted the new United States Attorney, “because I understand it is the thing to do and because the force of my predecessors’ habits may prove too strong for me. But I want you gentlemen to understand that if I do so it will only be for the sake of the publicity I shall get. And I want you to tell the public that little thing.” Whereupon all the report- ers fell dead of heart trouble This bottle SAYS . except the one named Byron Ao guaid efaingt | tT. Witburtorce, who moved w Amteeong back to Cedar Rapids and and married and went into the AUbitutrs, furniture business. (This is the third of a series of True Stories. The first, which will be about the college sophomore who re- “So what I am going to do, funded part of his allowance gentlemen of the press, is to enforce a few other laws which it is the United States Attorney's business to enforce just as much as the Prohibi- tion law is, but which every- body seems to have forgotten all about.” “But,” interrupted one re- porter, whose name was Byron T. Wilburforce and who came from Cedar Rapids, Towa, “aren't you going to make a statement about padlocking all the cafés IF WE TOOK LABELS SERIOUSLY to his parents, will probably not appear in an early issue.) Tip Bliss. Foreign Correspondence R. TROTSKY of Russia, who a short time ago was dangerously ill, is now danger- ously well again. ATTERED MOTORIST (waking up): Where am 1? Where am I? Nurse: This is number 116. Motorist: Room or cell? comicbooks.com