The Man Who Opposes the Sale of Dope
This cartoon depicts William Randolph Hearst, a powerful publisher who, at the peak of his success, owned sixteen newspapers. The reporting in Hearst’s newspapers was often sensationalistic, a style which was eventually termed “yellow journalism.” Hearst’s newspapers launched the famous “reefer madness” campaign about the dangers of marijuana, and Young has taken the opportunity to liken Hearst to a peddler of a different kind of drug. A sign next to Hearst advertises “escape truth and reality… hypocrisy and sophistry for every occasion… Editorials to produce paralysis of thought,” and a smaller sign offers “Venom and hatred to kill labor unions.”