Reminiscing: Will Rogers, Where Have You Gone When Your Country Needs You?

6/26/08
By: Dick Hinson

In the depression years of the 1930’s, just about everything that could go wrong had already hit bottom. Multitudes of Americans were unemployed. Adolph Hitler was beating the Nazi War drums and across our nation our banks were going broke. Even the weather kicked in with record droughts and dust storms, forcing farmers to abandon their mid-west farms and take to the roads as homeless migrants. History will tell you that the stage was set for dangerous times. Not much to laugh about, was there?

Enter a cowboy named Will Rogers. Born in 1879 in Oklahoma Indian Territory, Rogers was the last of eight children. His parents were Irish and Cherokee Indian, a heritage he was always proud of. With little formal education, he grew up to earn his living as a working cowhand.

While riding and roping on ranches which ran thousands of head of cattle, he developed advanced skills with the lasso. This talent led him into Vaudeville, performing roping tricks from the stage. During some of these shows he began to tell jokes as he worked the rope. This was an instant success. He tried to find some humor in the common everyday difficulties faced by the average family, expressed in the simple words of a hard working cowboy.

However, behind those wry down to earth comments was a mind as sharp as a steel trap. As his influence continued to grow, it was only natural that he began to comment on political issues and politicians. He had a rare talent for summing up complex issues in a few well chosen words. His popularity expanded from local to regional to a national scale. People were no longer interested in his cowhand roping skills. They wanted to laugh at the wisdom and humor he directed toward government and unwise political influence. On a daily basis, people asked each other "Did you hear what Will Rogers said yesterday?"

In addition to being the highest paid newspaper columnist, he was at the top of the communication fields that existed in those pre-television days. He traveled the world, dining with kings and presidents and swapped jokes with other famous writers, actors and comedians. Through it all, he remained the Oklahoma cowboy and a family man.

Here are some of his typical lines and sayings in the 1920’s and 1930’s:
"I have not aligned myself with any party. I am just sitting tight waiting for an attractive offer." "There is one thing about a Democrat. He would rather make a speech than a dollar."
"Well you know how congress is. They’ll vote for anything if the thing will turn around and vote for them."
"I believe I have found out how to tell one party from the other. The Republican says "Well things could have been worse." The Democrat says "HOW?" "You know it takes nerve to be a Democrat, but it takes money to be a Republican."
"I tell you that war will never be a success until you do have a referee and they announce before they start just what it’s for."
"You got to be funny to be a Democrat. It takes more humor to be a Democrat than it does a Republican anyhow."
"There ain’t but one thing wrong with every one of us in the world, and that’s selfishness."

Meanwhile, Rogers had gotten interested in promoting aviation and its future. He flew with Charles Lindbergh. In 1935, he and Wiley Post, another famous pilot, planned a flight to visit several countries. All I recall from photos of Mr. Post is that he sported a black patch over a blind eye.

In Marianna, August 15, 1935 was my mother’s 41st birthday. She was a loyal fan of Will Rogers, and we had often listened to his broadcasts. As I approached our small frame home, I could hear her crying. This was a rare experience, and it frightened me. She was alone. Running inside to her, I asked "What has happened?" "Will Rogers," she sobbed, "Has died in a plane crash." Mr. Post also died as their small plane went down near Barrow, Alaska. Our entire country mourned the loss.

Many recalled a column he wrote in 1928, including this comment "This thing about being a hero, about the main thing to it is to know when to die. Prolonged life has ruined more men than it ever made." Whether premonition or coincidence, Will Rogers made his own exit from the peak of his work. He was 56 years old.