Address to the Annual Convention of the American Red Cross

/ gouverneurmorris / Leave a comment

Address to the Annual Convention of the American Red Cross

This excellent piece by Mr. Jerry Wallace recounts the many years of support for this preeminent volunteer organization Coolidge gave. Especially what the Americana Annual for 1927 recounts about the Red Cross from the previous year,

     The year 1926 was one of the worst for disasters in the history of the American Red Cross. Fires, winds, and floods concentrated their fury in a way that set new records. Approximately 700 persons were killed in the United States and hundreds injured. Two months–September and October–witnessed unparalleled outbursts of nature’s wrath. During this period occurred the Florida hurricane, the worst disaster in Red Cross annals since the San Francisco fire and earthquake [1906, twenty years before]; the Illinois River Valley flood; the Kansas flood; the Iowa flood; two fires in Alaska which destroyed whole villages; floods in Oklahoma; tornado in Sandusky, Ohio; the Cuban hurricane, as destructive as the Florida storm; a flood in Mexico and hurricanes in the West Indies.

As we recall, 1927 brought the historic Mississippi and Vermont floods, to which the Red Cross responded ably. As summer progresses, with its accompanying cycles of intense heat and severe rains, it offers opportunity to reflect on a great organization’s work, the sacrifice its volunteers render every year and its worthy demonstration of America’s sense of service at home and around the world.

“The year 1926 was one of the worst for disasters in the history of the American Red Cross.  Fires, winds, and floods concentrated their fury in a way that set new records.  Approximately 700 person were killed in the United States and hundreds injured.  Two months—September and October—witnessed unparalleled outbursts of nature’s wrath.  During this period occurred the Florida hurricane, the worst disaster in Red Cross annals since the San Francisco fire and earthquake; the Illinois River Valley flood; the Kansas flood; the Iowa flood; two fires in Alaska which destroyed whole villages; floods in Oklahoma; a tornado in Sandusky, Ohio; the Cuban hurricane, as destructive as the Florida storm; a flood in Mexico and hurricanes in the West Indies.” – See more at: http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/address-to-the-american-red-cross.html#sthash.dS7FDHTo.dpuf
“The year 1926 was one of the worst for disasters in the history of the American Red Cross.  Fires, winds, and floods concentrated their fury in a way that set new records.  Approximately 700 person were killed in the United States and hundreds injured.  Two months—September and October—witnessed unparalleled outbursts of nature’s wrath.  During this period occurred the Florida hurricane, the worst disaster in Red Cross annals since the San Francisco fire and earthquake; the Illinois River Valley flood; the Kansas flood; the Iowa flood; two fires in Alaska which destroyed whole villages; floods in Oklahoma; a tornado in Sandusky, Ohio; the Cuban hurricane, as destructive as the Florida storm; a flood in Mexico and hurricanes in the West Indies.” – See more at: http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/address-to-the-american-red-cross.html#sthash.dS7FDHTo.dpuf
“The year 1926 was one of the worst for disasters in the history of the American Red Cross.  Fires, winds, and floods concentrated their fury in a way that set new records.  Approximately 700 person were killed in the United States and hundreds injured.  Two months—September and October—witnessed unparalleled outbursts of nature’s wrath.  During this period occurred the Florida hurricane, the worst disaster in Red Cross annals since the San Francisco fire and earthquake; the Illinois River Valley flood; the Kansas flood; the Iowa flood; two fires in Alaska which destroyed whole villages; floods in Oklahoma; a tornado in Sandusky, Ohio; the Cuban hurricane, as destructive as the Florida storm; a flood in Mexico and hurricanes in the West Indies.” – See more at: http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/address-to-the-american-red-cross.html#sthash.dS7FDHTo.dpuf
“The year 1926 was one of the worst for disasters in the history of the American Red Cross.  Fires, winds, and floods concentrated their fury in a way that set new records.  Approximately 700 person were killed in the United States and hundreds injured.  Two months—September and October—witnessed unparalleled outbursts of nature’s wrath.  During this period occurred the Florida hurricane, the worst disaster in Red Cross annals since the San Francisco fire and earthquake; the Illinois River Valley flood; the Kansas flood; the Iowa flood; two fires in Alaska which destroyed whole villages; floods in Oklahoma; a tornado in Sandusky, Ohio; the Cuban hurricane, as destructive as the Florida storm; a flood in Mexico and hurricanes in the West Indies.” – See more at: http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/address-to-the-american-red-cross.html#sthash.dS7FDHTo.dpuf

On True Justice

/ gouverneurmorris / Leave a comment

                                     Image

“Our country has many elements in its population, many different modes of thinking and living, all of which are striving in their own way to be loyal to the high ideals worthy of the crown of American citizenship. It is fundamental of our institutions that they seek to guarantee to all our inhabitants the right to live their own lives under the protection of the public law. This does not include any license to injure others materially, physically, morally, to Incite revolution, or to violate the established customs which have long bad the sanction of enlightened society.

But it does mean the full right to liberty and equality before the law without distinction of race or creed. This condition can not be granted to others, or enjoyed by ourselves, except by the application of the principle of broadest tolerance. Bigotry is only another name for slavery. It reduces to serfdom not only those against whom it is directed, but also those who seek to apply it. An enlarged freedom can only be secured by the application of the golden rule. No other utterance ever presented such a practical rule of life” — Calvin Coolidge, Third Annual Message to Congress, December 8, 1925