Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1922 · page 10 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #34 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang* (a WWI-era satirical magazine) contains a serious editorial column and an unrelated short joke at bottom. **Main Editorial Column:** References the "Taylor case" (likely William Desmond Taylor, a Hollywood director, whose 1922 murder exposed drug use in the film industry). The text warns of increasing narcotics abuse nationwide, not just Hollywood. It discusses opium smuggling from China with racist language typical of the era. The piece predicts "white ribboners" (Prohibition advocates) will eventually abandon alcohol prohibition for moderation—a critique of Prohibition policies. **Bottom Joke:** "Chief Blowberger" is a recurring character telling fast drivers that Robbinsdale doesn't enforce speed laws because the town welcomes dangerous speeding. This is satirical local humor, mocking a specific town's (lack of) traffic enforcement. The column presents drugs as an imported threat while attacking Prohibition as counterproductive policy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
8 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang HOLLYWOOD has gotten a great deal of publicity because of the discovery, through the Taylor case, that one of the favorite movie stars is addicted to the use of narcotics. Whether or not it is due to the result of prohibition, the use of narcotics is increasing everywhere and its abuse is not confined to Hollywood. It was only a few days ago that the daily press announced that in a raid in New York City ten white girls were found living with Chinamen in dope dens. China has been the greatest sufferer on earth from the plague and the Chinks seem bound to transplant the habit in this country. It is so easy to smuggle in that the continual seizures we hear about do not affect the im- portations. It is doubtful if the trade can be stopped except by making the growth of the opium poppy and the treatment and sale of the product a government monopoly in all coun- tries of origin. It is our guess that in the long run the white ribboners are going to see the error of total prohibition of alcoholic stimulants and switch to a more temperate platform of light wines and beers. * * * Chief Blowberger to a party of fast drivers going through Robbinsdale— “Speed laws don’t apply to you fellers. You cain’t get through any too dern fast fer us.”