---
title: '"It''s none of the public''s business"'
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/none-of-the-publics-business-1923/
description: Kirby's 'Mr. Dry', a scowling top-hatted figure that stood for all prohibitionists, sprawls over a heap of coins labelled 'Political Contributions', his…
section: Collection
---

[Collection](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/)

[!["It's none of the public's business"](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/none-of-the-publics-business-1923.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/none-of-the-publics-business-1923.jpg)

# "It's none of the public's business"

Kirby's 'Mr. Dry', a scowling top-hatted figure that stood for all prohibitionists, sprawls over a heap of coins labelled 'Political Contributions', his umbrella marked 'Anti-Saloon League'. The drawing responds to a documented event, a League official's refusal in February 1923 to answer questions about League funds, but it pins that conduct on one caricature standing for the whole dry side, the same device the dry poster 'He Can't Put It Out' uses for 'Liquor Interests'.

- **Date:** February 8, 1923
- **Period:** [Interwar](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#era=interwar)
- **Made by:** Rollin Kirby (cartoonist, New York World)
- **Region:** [North America](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#region=north-america)
- **Country:** [United States](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#country=united-states)
- **Medium:** [Cartoon](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#medium=cartoon)
- **Issuer type:** [Media](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#actor=media)
- **Regime:** [Harding Administration](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#regime=harding-administration)
- **Leader:** [Warren G. Harding](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#leader=warren-g-harding)
- **Audience:** [Domestic public](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#audience=domestic-public)
- **Purpose:** [Demonize](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#purpose=demonize)
- **Themes:** [Elections and party politics](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#theme=elections-party-politics), [Economy and finance](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#theme=economy-finance)
- **Event:** [US Prohibition Campaign](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/#event=us-prohibition-campaign)
- **Techniques:** [Name-calling](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/name-calling/)
- **Source:** Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- **Source:** [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2016682736/), retrieved September 27, 2026
- **Rights:** Public domain (1923 work by Rollin Kirby, d. 1952; LoC: no known restrictions) Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

## Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

ROLLIN KIRBY

"IT'S NONE OF THE PUBLIC'S BUSINESS"
```

An archival negative/frame number ('124707') and a handwritten date ('2/8/23') stamped at the top, and a handwritten production note ('4 col. 2d page...') at the bottom left, are archival/production annotations rather than the artist's own text, so they are left out of originalText.

[← Call for Freedom and Independence with Support for Saad and Safiya Zaghlul (al-Siyasa al-Musawwara)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/wafd-zaghlul-cartoon-siyasa-musawwara-1923/) ["Swear!" →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/swear-dry-and-klan-1923/)

## Using the same techniques

- [Passional Christi und Antichristi: the emperor kisses the pope's foot (leaf 'Antichristus')](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/passional-christi-antichristi-emperor-kisses-pope-1521/) (1521 · Name-calling, Card stacking)
- [Ondersoeckt de Geesten, ofse van den Duyvel syn, of niet (the De Witt brothers as devils)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/ondersoeckt-de-geesten-de-witt-devils-1672/) (1672 · Scapegoating, Name-calling)
- [The Highlanders Medley, or The Duke Triumphant (A Loyal Song)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/highlanders-medley-duke-triumphant-1746/) (1746 · Name-calling, Transfer)
- [The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/revere-bloody-massacre-king-street-1770/) (Mar 1770 · Name-calling, Card stacking)
- [Marche du Dom Quichotte moderne pour la deffence du Moulin des Abus (March of the Modern Don Quixote in Defence of the Mill of Abuses)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/dom-quichotte-moulin-des-abus-1791/) (1791 · Name-calling, Transfer)
- [Sans-Culottes, feeding Europe with the Bread of Liberty (James Gillray)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/sans-culottes-bread-of-liberty-gillray-1793/) (Jan 12, 1793 · Fear appeal, Name-calling)
- [Exit Liberté a la Francois! or Buonaparte closing the Farce of Egalité, at St. Cloud (James Gillray)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/exit-liberte-buonaparte-gillray-1799/) (Nov 21, 1799 · Name-calling)
- [Van Moscouw tot Elba moest ik wyken (From Moscow to Elba I had to give way), Napoleon caricature by Wijnand Esser](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/van-moscouw-tot-elba-napoleon-esser-1814/) (1814 · Name-calling)