Life, 1928-11-02 · page 24 of 48
Life — November 2, 1928 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features caricatures by James Montgomery Flagg of two prominent figures, likely from an election context (indicated by the "FOR ROGERS FOR SMITH FOR HOOVER—VOTE!" box). **Alfred Emanuel Smith** is praised as an eloquent New York politician ("Sidewalks of New York" reference) elected governor multiple times. The text humorously describes his distinctive style: striped suits, bowler hats, and cigars. The satire gently mocks his casual speech patterns ("uses Words the Way they strike him") while affirming his competence and honesty. The "Tammany" reference suggests New York machine politics associations. **Herbert Clark** appears to be a self-made westerner—an engineer who worked in mining across distant lands before coming to California's coast, representing prairie-to-prosperity success. The caricatures exaggerate facial features in Flagg's characteristic style. The overall tone is affectionate mockery of political personalities rather than sharp attack, typical of Life's satirical approach to election coverage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
L THE PEOPL Caricatures by James Montgomery Flagg ALFRED EMANUEL SMITH Ow Fame's Eternal Monolith Engrave the Name of Alfred Smith, Inserting, though it is not Vital, “Emanuel,” his Middle Title. This Man, as eloquent as Grattan, Was brought, a Babe, to Proud Manhat- tan By some Discriminating Stork. (Strike up “The Sidewalks of New York.”) Beloved, Revered and Much Respected, He Almost Always gets elected; And when he does, so help me, Bob! He surely does a High-Class Job. FOR ROGERS FOR SMITH FOR HOOVER VOTE! He uses Words the Way they strike him, Yet Folks have somehow seemed to like him, For several Times, not less than Four, They chose to choose him Governor. Striped Suits he wears and Nut-Brown Bowlers With Pert Cigars betwixt his Molars; And though an Opposition Camp Denounces him as Wet or Damp, He is, beyond all Doubts whatever, An Able Statesman, keen and clever As well as honest, frank and free. (Oblige us, please, with “Tam-ma-nee!"’) An Engineer of Note and Mark Whose Second Given Name is Clark. fir From Prairie Cornfields softly rippling fi He came, a Middle Western Stripling, fequir To California's Golden Coast, te or Ordained to be its Pride and Boast. Intelligence and Skill combining, He did a lot of Varied Mining And broke the Rock and dug the Sands | In many Strange and Distant Lands. | comicbooks.com