Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-06-18
FIRES A HOT SHOT
Speaker Joe Cannon of House
in After Dinner Speech
Raps Uplift.
SAYS IT'S ALL PURE ROT
Declares Former President ROOse.
Vclt's Country Life Commission
Is a.Failure.

|
cent after dinner speech before the
national city planning conference in
Washington dealt some hot shot to
one of former President Roosevelt's
pet commissions and other curiosities
Of the upiift movement.
The speaker tCCk the following falls
out of the uplirt;
Don't try to relieve conditions that
you don't understand"
| This country life commission that
has been trying to uplift the pOcr
| farmer with theories. I'll take oath
that they don't know what they are
| talking about"
what they have compiled is pure
rot. The commission is Il fiat failure"
THE idle rich % bear about the
same relation to the great mass of
the American people that the fly OH
| the elephants trunk bears to the ele-
plant"
| ''The people who do the most harm
are those who give TO what they call
charity either for notoriety or to bride
GCd."
at is well enough to plan for the
future of this country" said Mr. Can
non-"this country which is to have
500.000,O0O Inhabitants in the years
to come. There are n great many
thirgs which can be done in pklr 'ng
for those years. but no plans that We
in this generation can map out will
be big enough or broad enough to meet
the coming needs.
II bid gCdSpeed to this planning
that you are working for. but for
heavens sake don't follow the exam
PIE of some and try to relieve cOndi-
tons that you don't understand.
have no patience with those theorists
who are trying to relieve what they
are pleased to call the agricultural
section of this country. There art
several excellent gentlemen on the
country life commission but what they
have compiled is pure rot. If what
have read of it IS fair sample. The
country life commission is fat fail
ure because ii has dealt with condi
tons that didn't require dealing Will
by theorists and because its members
don't know what they are talking
about.
Read of Idle Rich.
"Open the sensational newspaper:
and the magazines and you will reaC
all about the activities of the idle rich
: their foolishneSses and their fads
They are of no real consequence. The!
!; bear about the same relation TO tn,
; great mass of the American people tina
, the fly on the elephants trunk bear
| to the elephant. but they give thu
: excuse for demagogues. who live no
r 10y the sweat of their faces. but by th,
: sweat of their tongues, to inveiGl
against economic conditions exiStin;
: in this country. That is why they con
stitute a real evil. Once in awhil
: when other methods of seeking noto
$ riety have failed they declare them
selves TO be friends of the people an,
proclaim themselves to be Socialists.
II don't regret Immigration. | woul,
not be here if it wasn't for that. II
be scattered over the continent of Eu
rope. There'd be little Of me In tn
Low Counties. a mite in France, POI
!. ton in Ireland, some more in Bingham
and Scotland. The great bulk of on
$ immigrants live by the sweat of thei
e faces. and any one who does that
worthy to be given recognition in thi
e country of ours"
Mr. Cannon paid high tribute @
: respect and admiration to Mrs. V.
Simkhovitch of New York. settle
: ment worker. whose work centers in
u block in a New York city street i
which more than LOGO persons liv'
Mrs. Simkhovitch spoke in a quiet bu
{ effective manner of her laborS in thi
congested district. where the work c
II the settlement worker is so often best
; with trials that demand forbearanc
l and endless patience.
The speaker found every reason
: believe that the world is growing be
ter each day and deprecated the eSis
ence of pessimists whose chief missio
is to f1aunt Encouragement before I'll
eyes of the public.