America in the War / Each cartoon faced with a page of comment by a distinguished American, the text forming an anthology of patriotic opinion

Chapter 54: “What a Mean Trick to Turn on That Strong Light!”

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About This Book

A curated series of wartime political cartoons by the illustrator is presented alongside short essays, speeches, and comments from prominent American public figures, combining visual satire with patriotic commentary. The paired items argue against militarism and autocracy, depict enemy actions as moral threats, and urge national mobilization, justice, and international accountability. Organization alternates bold, satirical plates with reflective or polemical pages, offering a mosaic of themes—sacrifice, democracy, reparation, and the moral stakes of conflict—intended to sway public opinion and explain the case for engagement.

“What a Mean Trick to Turn
on That Strong Light!”

“PEACE must be framed on so equitable a basis that the nations would not wish to disturb it. It must be guaranteed by destruction of Prussian military power, so that the confidence of the German people shall be put in the equity of their cause and not in the might of their armies.... Europe is again drenched with the blood of its bravest and its best, but do not forget the great succession of hallowed causes. They are the stations of the cross on the road to the emancipation of mankind. I again appeal to the people of this country and beyond that they should continue to fight for the great goal of international rights and international justice, so that never again shall brute force sit on the throne of justice nor barbaric strength wield the sceptre over liberty.”

From the Rt. Hon. David Lloyd-George’s Glasgow speech
on war aims, June 29, 1917.