Life — June 21, 1928 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

4 LIFE in the midst of Death Valley, that’s how far a drink will be from him. Al is a bear in the mud but he never has been started on a dry track. Put him on his kind of track and the Republicans have never been able to see which way he went, but his platform will have him in a straight jacket. That's where we are going to be sitting mighty pretty, We make our platform as we go, If we get to a State that wants a wet plank, why we just stop and put it in for ‘em, and if we get to a State where the farmers want relief, why we just stop and sell their farms for ‘em, and give ‘em relief. If we get to a place where the people claim they want lower taxes, why we have ‘em sell their property and put the money in “Tax Exempt’: bonds just like the rich. You see we are meeting the con- ditions as they come. If somebody wants flood relief, we move ’em to higher ground. If somebody wants a Dam built in their section, why we let “em do it through the building and loan. Any time you get ten voters you can rest assured we will give you what you want, We want every part of the Country to do what they want to do regardless of some other part. I] am sorry Al is not coming down here, but he had never been abroad, and he thought it was better to not show himself ull he had to. Well I must close, Jessie Jones ; come in and said their was Pa E in his room. The Democrats are trying to steal “Resign Plank” of mine They pe, = could land a lot of Republican votes if they was sure the Democrat would if elected resign. But it’s awful hard to a Democrat to resign, It’s pretty near as hard to get one to resign as it is to get him elected. (The Bunkless Party platform is grow. ing, and between all its planks are Will Rogers’ wise-cracks. Watch this space every week from now on for important announcements.) Henry Ford Tells Why He Indorses Will Rogers Read This Letter If You Are in Doubt About the Bunkless Party’s Motives Dearsorn, Micu., June 6, 1928. To the Editor of Lire. Sir: The joke of Will Rogers’ can- didacy for President is that it is no joke. It is a serious attempt to restore American common sense to American _ politics. American wisdom has always been marked by a humorous slant; in our best days as a nation we were always able to slap our biggest problems familiarly on the back; and we need someone who can bring us back to that attitude of casy mastery. Will Rogers can do it. He will be a terror to hypocrites. His humor will wash away whole mountains of nonsense and sham, There is, however, one item in his platform with which I cannot agree—“‘If elected, I will resign.” Now, in that spe- cial point, Will is not serious enough. Or not funny enough, either way you take it. We may strike out the “if because his election is as good as settled. The “New Lire” Party will put him over in Lire with a big majority. Why? Because we want to see what kind of a candidate he will make? No; we know that already. The real reason for electing him is to see what kind of a President he will make. Elections are not our problem, but governments. As a candidate, Will Rogers may show us a thing or two about elections, but that will not help with the real question. We want him, when elected, to show us something about gov- ernments, too. So, will not you use your influence with Will to reconsider that point? What is to prevent him, when elected, from running a side-government of his own? Let him appoint his Cabinet and send messages to Congress, let him address the people and make pronouncements on public questions —in tact, carry the idea through to a finish, It would be a tonic to the country |i and perhaps a curb on the follies of government as well as a spur to American political initiative. Great things could be accomplished Pye means, not the least of which will be the restoration of pop- ular interest in national problems. I should much rather Will would say, “IE elected, I will set up a little model administration here in Lire, and run it as I think it ought to be run.” Yours cordially, (Signed) Henry Foro. Mr. Foro was one of the fifteen original indorsers of Will Rogers’ nomination. When the list of these indorsers was first published, many editorial writers through- out the country expressed the opinion that Lire was perpetrating another joke. This, of course, was a deliberate attempt to be- little our candidate and to confuse the issue. Mr. Ford's letter will clear up any clouds of misunderstanding that may have surrounded the purposes of the Bunkless Party. We have nominated Will Rogers in all ‘ood faith, believing that he, unfettered By any Republican or Democratic ties, will be a great candidate and, if elected, a great President. We believe that he pos- sesses and deserves the confidence of an enormous number of Americans. We believe, above all things, that every vote cast for Will Rogers next November will be an important protest against the bunk and hypocrisy that now exist in ow two major political parties. As we have already pointed out, Will Rogers is the only candidate in years who is funny intentionally. But when he has completed his debunking campaign, the professional politicians of the Republican and Democratic parties will realize regret- fully that his candidacy was considerably more than a laughing matter. THE FoLLowinc editorial comments oa the Rogers campaign appeared in the Chi- cago Evening Post: “Lire is staging a playful campaign of Wil Rogers for President, but we're not so sure the idea is only a joke. Why not put hin over in earnest? There is, of course, a prev dice against a politician being a humorist, the notion held by the sober American being tut a man of levity cannot be trusted with situ. tions of gravity. But Rogers, we think, is nxt that kind of a humorist. His is the humor common sense; his comments are funny be cause they are true. “Furthermore, ninety-nine out of ever hundred Americans have actually sccn Wil Rogers in the Lincolnian flesh, always a grea advantage when a candidate runs for otf And there is the fact that his jests have almost always dealt with things _polital. “Rogers Knows Politics’ would be one of th slogans. And the Democrats would pull more votes with Rogers than they will with Smith.” We repeat: the Bunkless Party has 10 funds with which to buy votes. We nat urally want plenty of voters (as who does not?), but they must be amateurs. If you are willing to join the party 0 these terms, or if you have any questions to ask of Our Candidate, write to Rogers Campaign Headquarters, 598 Madisoo Ave., New York City. comicbooks.com