The Coconino sun., 1925-12-25
A GROUCHY VOICE
FROM CALIFORNIA

LOnuOH spectator, written Dy Onafl0S
e. West of Long Beach, Calf, prob
ably will give the readers of the
English publication rather hectic
idea of America, although the ele-
ment of truth running in the letter
may not be recognized at its full
worth. There is less good-fellowship
and trust and candor in American life
today than there used to be, and no
reason under the sun for it. Intol-
erance and distrust, insincerity and
guile, greed and irrationality seem to
be increasing. Scandals and graft in
the high places appear to excite small
concern in these good days, and the
responsibility of citizenship has
grown light. Here is the letter:
Sir:-l have just read Mr.. Norman
| Angell's article | write because
like England, having been there, and
wish to warn the British against the
New American or Babbitt movement
in the United States. | was born "A
years ago in Virginia City, New, of
native American parents, so / should
know the west. have travelled a
quarter Of a million miles in four ma
/ tions, so | should be able to make
comparisons.
Mr.. Angel tells of the improve
ments effected by the collective eff
forts of the Rabbits in the west. |
have lived at the Statler hotels which
not only do not remember the guests
names, but are far less courteous and
friendly than London hotels. | have
seen the old rough west he sneers at
pass-the west where every man rose
| in street cars to- give women seats,
the wide, open, gambling, drinking
west where there was not the one
rape case a day that takes place in
California today, nor the dope, the
sneak thieves, the shop-lifters now
| flourishing in incredible number. The
old west was rough but immensely
better than the new bunch of sane
timonious hypocrites and bible-toting
| grafters that has succeeded.
Beware of the new American gang
spirit that is making this nation the
storm-center of intefnecine hate. In
America, today, there is vastly less
politeness, courtesy and common de-
cency than ten years ago. We are in
tested by pitiful asses posing in the
limelight of bunk uplift. Dozens of
clubs are spreading bunk that fools
nobody, not even themselves. We
have cleanup weeks, shutdown
weeks, dry-up weeks, love-your-neign-
Dor weeks, go-to-church weeks, and a
million other kinds of weeks that no
body pays any attention to except the
officious busybodies that sponsor them
for the cheap advertising that they
bring. For instance, we have just
had fire e-prevention week by the fire
insurance companies. We shall next
probably have the fill-your-teeth
week by the dentists. etc.
Never was a people so disgusted
with this stuff and the meddling of an
officious and puritanical government
in personal habits as the American
people are today. They are sick, sore
and disgusted from Atlantic to Pa
cific. individuality is a challenge,
frank speech a crime, minority opin-
ion an outrage to be beaten down with
budgeons under the eyes Of the Off
GERS of the law in America today
Watch contemporary history in
America with its Tennessee trials, It's
/ government agents breaking in the
doors of private and innocent homes
without warrant and in defiance OF
the law, arrests without charge and
failing without bail or trial, the rail
roading Of innocent men from COM
munities. Look out England! Watch
the mob spirit, or community spirit
as it is called over here.
If YOU want to know real Ameri-
can small town read Main Street--it
is an amazing photograph. Babbitt
gives you the next size, from the life.
England taught us hypocrisy, but you
are babies to us now in that art.
Don't let the old hens who go over
there from here to preach prohibition
lie you out of your personal freedom.
MIR. Norman Angel is all right, but
when he talks of the new or bunk
America he is all wrong. If you
doubt this, watch our papers for riots,
rapes, murders, police and govern
mental outrages, and beating up OF
citizens. / have belonged to CONNER
cial, luncheon, advertising and other
clubs. | have lived in towns of one,
five, tens twenty-five, fifty, two7hun-
dred thousand and cities of one to
six millions. know my country and
| know it has learned to hate its
neighbors I mean one citizen hates
another citizen) because of religion,
thought and class. | know that it is
unbelievably intimated by mob spirit,
!. that it is incredibly henpecked by the
repulsiye old termagants who hound
the politicians, that it daily becomes
more corrupt, that the consumption OF
booze goes on, only now in the homes
and among the young, and that the
very word liberty" uttered aloud
makes people stare at you'll am,
Chas. e. West.
Sir, &C.,
120 E. Broadway, Long Beach, Cal.
(Our Swift-like correspondent has,
we hope, done some injustice to has
countrymen, but we must compliment