"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
- Made by
- Rollin Kirby (cartoonist, New York World)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Cartoon
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Harding Administration
- Leader
- Warren G. Harding
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Demonize
- Themes
- Elections and party politics, Economy and finance
- Event
- US Prohibition Campaign
- Techniques
- Name-calling
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, 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
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.
