Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-12-14
CARICATURES OF PROMINENT MEN.

Recent Chicago papers contained re-
ports of the arrest of q man in that
city who has been posing under the
name of "Win;fred Campbell" and
two or three other "aliases. He is
charged with al attempt to mulct
some of Chicago's prominent business
men out of various sums ranging from
$3.50 to $500 each, as subscribers toward
projected book of 'Caricatures of
Prominent Men," What gave him
success at first and what finally led to
his undoing was the fact that he re-
presented himself to be no less a per-
son than John 7. McCutcheon. the
talented cartoonist of the Tribune.
We are not writing these words mere
ly to call attention to the exposure Of
fraud and the probable punishment uf
the wrong doer lapses of that sort
are so common that they 90 by almost
they cause just slight ripple, per-
haps, and then the great stream flows
on again as though nothing had hap
pened to it. There is one feature,
however, connected with the crime of
the pseudo McCutcheon which is of
much more than ordinary interest. he
cause of it's grave character. We have
reference to what we believe to be q
growing evil in this country. so
vicious as not only to seriously affect
the morals of large contingent Of
cur people but also to threaten the
very foundations OF society by cheap
ening our institutions. and by en-
dsngerine the lives of prominent
people. The cartoonist should be i'm
personal as far as is consistent with
truth, the education of the people,
and the obtaining of lawful results
such as the overthrow of crime. 1t
would BIZ hard to find anything finer
or more suggestive than "Uncle Sam"
and "John Bull )" every ybody appreci-
ates them because they represent ma
tional characteristics without degener-
ating tendencies, and are therefore
healthy educarionally as we'll as in
nocent. The peculiarities OF Dickens
characters, clearly and forcibly as they
are portrayed by the pen of the great
novelist. are made much more impress
sive by the pencil of the artist who
illustrated the works OF Dickens. We
have laughed again and again over
"A Boy in Summer Time" and over
"Social Happenings at Bird Center.
Ill. " but we have never been able to
get mirthful over the overdrawn .e-
presentations of the teeth of Mr.. Roose-
velt. He is the President. 1t would
be just as Legitimate to oaricature the
Stars and Stripes. When the Republi-
can national convention which nomi.
mated James A. Garfield for president,
Was in session at Chicago, one of the
daily papers produced caricature OF
Gen. Grant who was also candidate,
in which a distorted face of the great
est and most highly honoIed American
Of his day, was joined to the body OF
villianous looking dog; so indignant
were the old soldiers who had fought
und.r him that they compelled the
removal of the disgraceful travesty
from the windows of the building
where il was exposed TO view. The
yellow journalism rf the present Cay,
whether in this country or elsewhere,
which admits to it's columns hideous
burlesques of prominent men of pure
character and clean life should be held
responsible as far as thew are liable,
for the legitimate outcome OF the vile
practice. which at it's best breeds an
archy and fosters assassination. By
it's disregard of the laws of the conn
try it puts the lives of our presidents
in jeopardy and tramples down the
standards of Righteousness which tho
American people believe in and stand
for. 1t ought not to have been neces-
sary in the United States to have to
surround President Roosevelt with a
huge body guard at the st. Louis fair.
But Mckinley has not vet been for
gotten.