Articles Authored by Will Rogers
1922 WEEKLY NEW YORK TIMES NEWSPAPER ARTICLE #3
Will Rogers WEEKLY ARTICLES
SETTLING THE AFFAIRS OF THE WORLD AS THEY SHOULD BE
Everybody is writing something nowadays. It used to be just the Literary or Newspaper men who were supposed to know what they were writing about that did all the writing. But nowadays all a man goes into office for is so he can try to find out something and then write it when he comes out.
Now being in Ziegfeld Follies for almost a solid year in New York has given me an inside track on some of our biggest men in this country who I meet nightly at the stage door.
So I am breaking out in a rash right here in this paper every Sunday. I will cite an example to prove to you what you are going to get. Last week there was a mess of Governors here from various provinces. And a good friend of mine brought back to the stage and dressing room Gov. Allen of Kansas. (Hurry up and print this story or he won't be governor).
Well, I stood him in the wings and he was supposed to be looking at my act, but he wasn't. He was a watching what really is the backbone of our show. He anyway heard some of my gags about our government and all who are elected to help missrun it.
So at the finish of my act I dragged him out on the stage and introduced him to the audience. He made a mighty pretty little speech and said he enjoyed Will's Impertinences, and got a big laugh on that. Said I was the only man in America who was able to tell the truth about our men and affairs.
When he finished I explained to the audience why I was able to tell the truth. It is because I have never mixed up in Politics. So you all are going from time to time to get the real Low Down on some of these Birds who are sending home the Radish Seed.
You know the more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best. My only solution would be to keep em both out one term and hire my good friend Henry Ford to run the whole thing and give him a commission on what he saves us. Put his factory in with the government and instead of Seeds every spring mail out those Things of his.
Mail Newberry one every morning Special Delivery.
I tell you Folks, all Politics is Apple Sauce.
The President gave a luncheon for the visiting Governors, where they discussed but didn't TRY Prohibition.
It was the consensus of opinion of all their speeches that there was a lot of drinking going on and that if it wasn't stopped by January that they would hold another meeting and try and get rid of some of the stuff.
Senator Curtis proposed a bill this week to stop Bootlegging in the Senate, making it unlawful for any member to be caught selling to another member while on Government property. 5 While the bill was being read a government employee fell just outside the Senate door and broke a Bottle of Pre-War Stuff (made just before last week's Turkish War). Now they are carpeting all the halls with a heavy material so in case of a fall there will be no serious loss.
Well, New Years is here now and I suppose we will have to hear and read all these big men's New Year greetings, such men as Schwab and Gary and Rockefeller and all of them. Saying the same old Apple Sauce. That they are optimistic of the coming year and everybody must put their shoulder to the wheel and produce more and they predict a great year. Say, if we had those Birds' Dough we could all be just as optimistic as they are. But it's a good joke and it's got in the papers every year and I suppose always will.
Now the Ku Klux is coming into New York and kinder got it in for the Jewish People. Now they are wrong: I am against that. If the Jewish People here in New York City hadn't jumped in and made themselves good fellows and helped us celebrate our Xmas, the thing would have fell flat. They sold us every present.
The Ku Klux couldn't get much of a footing in New York. If there was some man they wanted to take out and Tar and Feather, they wouldn't know where he lived. People move so often here their own folks don't know where they live.
And even if they found out the Elevator man in the Apartment wouldn't let 'em up.
See where there is bills up in Congress now to change the Constitution all around, elect the President in a different way and have Congress meet at a different time. It seems the men who drew up this thing years ago didn't know much and we are just now getting a bunch of real fellows who can take that old Parchment and fix it up like it should have been all these years. It seems it's just been luck that's got us by so far. Now when they get the Constitution all fixed up they are going to start in on the 10 Commandments, just as soon as they find somebody in Washington who has read them.
See where they are talking about another Conference over here. The Social Season in Washington must be lagging.
Well I think they ought to have it. Those Conferences don't really do any harm and they give certain Delegates pleasure. Of course nothing they ever pass on is ever carried out (Except in Greece, where they are all carried out). But each Nation gets a certain amount of amusement out of it.
Borah himself admits he don't know what its for or what they should do. But it looks like a good Conference season and there is no reason why we shouldn't get in on one.
BESIDES, DID YOU EVER REALIZE THIS COUNTRY IS 4 CONFERENCES BEHIND NOW?
Next Sunday I will tell you about Ambassador Harvey. I am going down to HEAR him land, and see if he has on his Knee Breeches.