Life — August 31, 1922 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NM Sat N) Wn ececen MM yp al MWY LAD) y == Mpg ff ELLY Fishbein & Blintz Discuss New York versus The Rest of the U. S. “VT SEE in a New York paper where the Mayor of New York is beginning to be mentioned for President of the United States,” Harris Fishbein remarked to his partner, Max Blintz, one morning recently. “I suppose they say: ‘Wouldn't it be terrible if the Mayor of New York should be President of the United States,’ or ‘Thank God the Mayor of New York ain't President of the United States,’ or something like that, ain’t it?” Max Blintz said. “Say, the present Mayor of New York ain't the worst mayor New York ever had,” Fishbein observed. “I ain't never investigated the matter sufficient to make such a close decision as that would be, Fishbein,” Blintz said, “but even if he was, y’understand, the next Fishbein observed, “whether or not the present Mayor of New York is or ain’t as good or bad as his friends and enemies would like to think,— and I don’t think he could be, y’un- derstand, nothing turns a Presidential possibility into a Presidential impos- sibility so quick as being a New Yorker. In fact, Blintz, New York has got altogether the wrong idea about the United States of America. New York thinks it is the dog and the rest of the country is the tail, where- as as far as the rest of the United States is concerned, New York ain't even a hair of the dog that bit them. Several million people living in New York has been separated from their habits and their families by the Pro- hibition Law and the Immigration Restriction Law, and maybe it’s just for that reason alone and maybe it ain’t, Blintz, but with the people of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and a major- ity of the rest of the States, them two laws is more popular than all the other laws put together, and the biggest consolation the rest of the country has got for the Income Tax Law is that the people of New York City pays more income taxes than all the other cities of America.” “Well, it’s a fifty-fifty proposition when it comes to the way the rest of the United States and New York looks at each other, Fishbein,” Blintz said. “New York thinks that the United States of America ends at Van Cortlandt Park, whereas the rest of the United States thinks that except for famine sufferers, New York and Poland are President wouldn’t be inaugu- rated for three years, Fish- bein, and people has got an awful short memory for names and faces even when they are connected up with reputations. Take all these here German generals and field marshals, which had such rotten repu- tations three years ago, Fish- bein, and outside of Hinden- burg and Ludendorff, y'un- derstand, the names of all the rest of them don’t mean no more to the average American citizen than if they would be a bunch of saloon keepers and delicatessen proprietors which had just been put out of busi- ness by Prohibition and a Sun- day closing law.” “Well, anyhow, Blintz,” “They would be sent back on the return trip of the Mayflower,” practically one country and that anyone buying a_ ticket from New York for any point further west than Yonkers should ought to be examined as to whether he can read and write the English language and has intentions of becoming a Citizen.” . “But do you think it would help the rest of the country to understand New York if we was to put up sign boards along the railroad-tracks at the city limits, reading: THIS IS NEW YORK The Wichita of the East A CITY OF HOMES—WATCH US GRow or maybe, Blintz, them sign boards should ought to read: comicbooks.com