This cartoon depicts the Illinois legislature in January of 1915. The legislature is divided into two groups, but not the traditional party divides of the Democrat and Republican parties. The two groups are “wet” and “dry.” The members of the legislature sitting on the ”wet” side are fervently against any prohibition legislation within the state of Illinois. The “dry” side is composed of politicians who favor implementing regulations of the distribution and sale of alcohol. The cartoon points out how this issue of prohibition has divided members of each political party, upsetting the status quo of the legislature (grouping by political party). These suggestions for alcohol regulations in Illinois were some of many being proposed throughout various levels of government in the United States at the time. Many found the temperance movement in the United States to be a more moral than political issue, making it a hotly debated topic within the Republican and Democrat parties. This cartoon was created only five years before the eighteenth amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, which declared the manufacture and sale of alcohol illegal. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)
Published in the Chicago Tribune on January 13, 1915.
"163"--Handwritten on verso.
"January 13 1915"--Handwritten on verso.
"Mr. Stephens 314 Tribune Bldg"--Handwritten on verso.
Pencil and ink on board.
Original in University of Missouri Special Collections, John Tinney McCutcheon Collection.
Digitized on September 2017. Equipment: Indus Color Book Scanner. Scanning software: bcs-2 version 3.4.9. Image specifications: 400 dpi, color. Access copies: tiffs with LZW compression, rotated and cropped.
Title from caption.
