The Caucasian., 1909-06-06
CANNOH'S HOT SHOT.
Speaker OF the House RidicuIes
UpIift Movement.
"PURE ROT" SAYS UNCLE JOE
Declares Former President Roose-
veIt's Country Life Commission Is 8
"FIat FaiIuren-Has No Patience
With Attempt to Relieve Conditions
That Are Not Understood

/
With Attempt to Relieve Conditions
That Are Not Understood.
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon in re-
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 uplift movement.
The speaker took the following falls
| out of the uplift:
"Don't try to relieve conditions that
you don't understand"
This country life commission that
has been trying to uplift the poor
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 fat failure"
1.-The idle rich bear about the
same relation to the great mass of
the American people that the fly on
the elephants trunk bears to the ele-
phant."
1.-The people who do the most harm
are those who give to what they call
charity either for notoriety or to bribc
God
''It is well enough to plan for the
future of this country" said Mr. Can
non-''this country which is to have
50O,000.O00 Inhabitants in the years
to come There are a great many
things which can be done in planning
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.
''T bid godspeed to this planning
that you are working for. but for
heaveE's sake don't follow the exam
pie of some and try to relieve condi-
tiOns 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 are
several excellent gentlemen on the
country life commission, but what they
have compiled is pure rot, If what
have read of 1t is fair sample The
country life commission is fat fail
ure because it has dealt with cond-
tions that didn't require dealing with
by theorists and because its members
don't know what they are talking
about
"Open the sensational newspapers
and the magazines and you will read
all about the activities of the idle rich
their foolishnesses and their fads.
They are of no real consequence. They
bear about the same relation to the
great mass of the American people thai
the fly on the elephants trunk bears
te the elephant but they give the
excuse for demag agogues, who live not
by the sweat of their faces, but by the
sweat of their tongues, to inveigtl
against economic conditions existing
in this country. That is why they con-
when other methods of seeking note
riety have failed they declare them
selves to be friends of the people and
proclaim themselves to be Socialists
Il don't regret immigration. would
not be here If it wasn't for that. I'd
be scattered over the continent of Eu-
rope. There'd be little of me in ths,
Low Counties, mite in France, ror-
tion in Ireland, some more in EngIaai
and Scotland The great bulk Of our
immigrants live by the sweat of Their.
faces, and any one who does that is
worthy to be given recognition in this
country of ours
Mr.. Cannon paid high tribute Of
respect and admiration to Mrs. Y g. |
Simkhovitch of New York, a settle
ment worker. whose work centers ia i
block in a New York city street i'll
which more than 1000 persons live
Mrs. Simkhovitch spoke in quiet but
effective manner of her labors in this
congested district. where the work ef
the settlement worker is so often beset
withGrials that demand forbearance
and Endless patience.
The speaker found every reason to
believe that the world is growing bet
ter each day and deprecated the exist.
ence, of pessimists whose chief missioa
Is to f1aunt encouragement before the
eyes of the public.