Life — September 28, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This Will Rogers column satirizes a wealthy presidential candidate assembling a Cabinet. Rogers mocks how rich men, particularly those like Andrew Mellon (Secretary of Treasury under Coolidge/Hoover), treat high office as personal vanity projects rather than serious governance. The satire targets: - **Wealthy Cabinet appointments**: Rogers suggests rich industrialists view Cabinet positions as status symbols, comparable to owning multiple luxury cars - **Mellon specifically**: Rogers criticizes Mellon's influence on economic policy and his use of the Treasury Department for personal financial benefit - **Political corruption**: The implicit critique that wealth buys political power and that unqualified men fill important positions The bottom cartoon depicts chaos outside a newsstand—likely representing public confusion or outcry over such appointments. Rogers's point: Government shouldn't reward wealth with power; competent but humble politicians would serve better than vain rich men playing at statesmanship.