Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-21
Bad Now, Eli?
Well. Hark
Back to 1900
The Detroit Of Those DAYS
Offered No Treat
(The opinions expressed BY
Westbrook Pegier are not necss-
sarily those of The Detroit
Times.)
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER


BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
TO THOSE members of Ameri-
can youth who may be in.
-clined- tn-find- fault lwith-the
state of the nation and to blame
the present senior class for
neglect and sloth 1 should like
TO address a message -un-
solicited, to be sure, but pre-
paid.
1t goes this way:
If you think things are bad
now you should have seen the
mess which we inherited around
1900.
Hardly any one had electric
lights then, even in the cities,
and gas light was still a luxury.
and, of course, there were no
automobiles to speak of, nor any
paved roads, and the plumbing
was about what you would find
in modernized French or Eng
lish mansion at this time
which is to say very primitive.
Wages were low, but you
could get a soup bone for a nickel !
and liver was free for the cat,
but fresh vegetables vanished
from the peoples diet for the
Winter and oranges were a
Christmas delicacy.
ZIP TO some time around 1915
~ the river front in Chicago
was a revolving mess of garbage,
literally. and old buildings in
tested by rats big enough to
saddle and ride. and in most
cities the transportation con-
sisted of street cars only, which
in Winter were heated by coal
stoves.
Only a dozen years ago a
drive from New York TO Phila-
delphia was an expedition, and
ii took at least two and half
hours to get past Newark.
- Our generation built those
vehicular tunnels and the George
Washington Bridge, the Pulaski
-skyMaY- and the concrete
through-route which avoids the
hard going in the congested
districts. a.
OF COURSE, /. personally,
" made no contribution To
these Improvements. but if you
are going to blame my genera
ton. generally, for neglect and
failure in certain matters, you
have TO count us all in on the
credits.
Those who deserve the great
est credit as individuals or
groups were the dirty capitalists
who created the motor industry
and other productive lines for
Sordid gain.
In the matter of public i'm
provements, credit belongs TO
the party politicians-many OF
them grafters, | grant you, who
were constantly trying to put
the public in debt 10 them for
material improvements TO which
they could point with pride in
campaign time.
You should have seen ST.
Louis about then. You should
have seen Detroit.
M hltrn t,nn1Dntn d
have We? Well. in 1900 there
were only 1l4.000 students
taking regular college courses.
fewer than one-tenth of the
enrolment in 1888, and while it
is true that the population also
grew. that increase was only
about so per cent.
WHY, in those days Miami
w was a little isolated trading
post and the soil which is now
showing up green vegetables and
even strawberries in Winter and
all that citrus was showing up
only weeds, vine, pine and
palmettoes.
If you think the Indians or
nature made that change you
are crazy. That was all done
by this generation, which also
produced the airplane. the tele-
phone system, the radio and dis
coveries in healing that now
cure people who similarly ailing
then just had to die.
And all this time my genera
ton somehow contrived TO pre-
serve the American liberties
under the Constitution which you
will not appreciate until and
unless they are taken away.
And if anyone tries to tell
about the marvellous advance in
Russia. ask him how many
ordinary Russians own auto
mobiles and what happens to a
Russian who says word against
Joe Stain.
Ask how things are in Ger
many and Italy and make your
comparisons.
If your generation does half
as well as mine, you have
run a very good score, and /
hope you do.
Copyrighted by United Features synd.. Inc.
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