Life, 1928-08-02 · page 5 of 36
Life — August 2, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1928 Life magazine page satirizes the presidential campaign through Will Rogers' commentary. The article attacks anti-Prohibition Republicans planning to eliminate party planks on temperance while secretly supporting alcohol—particularly targeting wealthy interests ("wine for the rich, beer for the poor"). Rogers mocks the hypocrisy of candidates who publicly deny the Prohibition issue while privately accommodating both prohibitionists and drinkers. References to "Hoover or Smith" suggest this covers the 1928 election between Herbert Hoover and Alfred E. Smith, with Smith being the wet candidate opposing Prohibition. The cartoon below illustrates a farmer being pitched conflicting campaign promises—the satire being that politicians offer empty rhetoric while ignoring genuine farmer relief concerns. Rogers promises to challenge candidates openly on their actual positions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THIS CAMPAIGN IS GETTING HOT Preparatory to starting an aggressive | campaign—which will carry the war into the enemy territory—I owe it to the Anti- Bunks to sum up my stand to date. In the first place I believed that the Anti-Bunk party should make its nomina- tion without cost to the taxpayer. So we made our nomination in a hotel room at a cost of $10.00 (it was a front room). That's just where all nominations are really made, But the difference with us was we admitted it. The platform was made out of planks carried in by voters. When we built it, we left plenty of room between the planks for wise-cracks, Here are some of them: Ove Support Witt Have to Come rrom THose WxHo Want Notutnc, ano Have THE Assurance oF GETTING Ir. Tuts Means THAT We Won't Pay a Cent ror Votes. We Want Vor- | ers wut THey Must Be Antatevrs. | Wuartever Hoover or SmitH Prom- ise You, We’tt Rise "Em at Least 20°%,. by WILL ROGERS We're Goinc to Eximinate Party Leavers, Stocans, Bott Luncnton Cruss, Vice- Sano Fieas, Conventions, Pants ano Lots or Orner THINes. As I Have Sat Repeatedly, THere Witt Be No Errort at Sex Appeat. A Canpipate Can Win Witnovut Sex Appear, as Was Proven 1n 1924. We Apmit tHe Existence oF THE Pronteition Issue, as Wat's on Your Hip Must Be on Your Minv. So Our Prank Is: “Wine ror THE Ricu, Beer FOR THE Poor, AND Moonsiine Liquor FoR THE Prontsitionists.”” We Witt Nor Onry Give THE Farmer Revier, We Witt Cure Hine or Beinc A Farmer. Eee eee SEETSr “Te Exzcren, I Postriveny anp Asso- | Ecectep, I Posrtivery anv Asso- Lurecy Acree to Resicn. “Doe Fall fer Herb here is et city Bt No Matter Wuat’s on Our Ptat- rorm Now, on Novemser Sixt We Witt Have a Bonrire ano Burn THE PLatrorM. Now our platform isn’t finished yet. We keep on building it as we go. Anybody who can give us ten votes can have a plank of his own in the Platform. Next week I'm going to issue a chal- lenge to one of my rival candidates to come right out in the open and debate. I won't say which one he is now, but I'm giving them both warning. My de- bate challenge will be addressed to the candidate Aimself. I refuse to lower my- self to argue in public with an Official Spokesman. Say, speaking of Official Spokesmen, it looks to me like the voters will begin to get the idea that the Republican candidate 1s Dr. Work and the Democrat candidate is Mr. Raskob. Those birds have done all the talking to date. (Watch this space next week for Our Candidate's first official challenge.) comicbooks.com