Life, 1928-07-26 · page 5 of 36
Life — July 26, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Will Rogers satire mocks the 1928 U.S. presidential campaign, specifically targeting the competing parties' inconsistency on Prohibition. Rogers critiques both Democrats and Republicans for trying to simultaneously appeal to "wet" (anti-Prohibition) and "dry" (pro-Prohibition) voters—an impossible political balancing act. The comic panels show Smith and Hoover (the Democratic and Republican nominees) being notified of their presidential nominations. Rogers's point: both candidates must eventually choose a clear position on alcohol rather than offering contradictory statements to different audiences. The satire highlights how Prohibition had become a divisive political issue where candidates couldn't honestly address voters' genuine concerns without alienating crucial voting blocs.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ANALYZING THE POLITICAL HOOCH “What's on Your Hip Is Bound to Be on Your Mind” Sav — dident Clem Shaver’s wife curdle the milk in the Democratic barnyard, She says they can’t fool her with that Clown Platform, that it’s nothing but a Trap door. She says Smith might fool some of them by making ‘em think he can stand one foot in a water bucket and the other ona clothes line, But that she has been mixed up in Politics too long for that. So that started the Women all over the Country to kinder taking soundings and seeing just how bad they had been bunked, when they were told that the whole thing was to be as dry as a three- time Widow's handkerchief. So it looks like the Women are headed for Hoover, and where the women go naturally the knee pants Boys will go. So it looks like that won't leave Al anybody but the men, and there just ain’t many of them any more. Then right in the midst of what should have remained a calm, why Dr. Work broke in with the following, “We will *Mister-Smith and Mister Hoover, you are hereby notified that you have been nominated for the presidency.” Really? Well, this is great by WILL ROGERS not allow our Speakers to refer to Pro- hibition, This Campaign will be instruc- tive.” Why my Lord, Doc, there is nothing more instructive than to tell a man where to get a drink. What else is there of an instructive nature nowadays? You can’t read Coolidge record in every speech from now till November. Why the Declaration of Independence is only read once a year and then only to defenseless School Children, who can’t prevent it, And you can’t tell me that Coolidge minutes of this last meeting is greater than Thomas Jefferson's Scenario. Besides Coolidge has got some things in there that even you Doc wouldent want brought up over once. So you are going to have to get away from Statistics. Figures are all right to quote, but the best time to quote ‘em is after election, and then only in numbers of Plurality. Now it’s mighty noble of you Dr. Work to not want Liquor dragged into news! "Mister Rogers, you are hereby notified that you have been a perfectly high classed soul-inspiring Campaign. But what's on your Hips is bound to sooner or later percolate to your mind, And what's on your mind ts bound to break out in talk, And when you speak of talk, you just about have spoken of all Politics, For that's all it is. Both of your parties are in a hole on Prohibition, and you are both trying to Bull your way through and hold both sides, Neither one of you had the nerve to come right out and say one way or the other. Both of you are trying to grab both Wets, and Drys. You both can word phrases and in- terpretations any way you want to that looks like it might get a wet Voter and NOT lose a Dry. But you either got to be one or the other, Wet or Dry, and there just ain't enough words in old man Webster's Dic- “Aw, I knew it. T saw it in the nominated for the’ presidency.” comicbooks.com