understanding of those amongst us whether alien or native to a proper conception and a keen appreciation of the aims and purposes of the great government under which we live. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany this twentieth day of [L. S.] January in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. By the Governor : (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. GEORGE R. VAN NAMEE, Secretary to the Governor. Near East Relief STATE OF NEW YORK EXECUTIVE CHAMBER In spite of the fact that over a year has passed since the signing of the Armistice, the people of Armenia continue to suffer, as before, all the horrors of homelessness, disease, famine and persecution. Added to this is the constant menace of massacre. Reports from the Near East indicate that at any moment the ruthless Turk may sweep down on the remnant of these helpless people, now nominally free of his despotism, and wipe them off the face of the globe. But at the present moment, with winter upon them it is the danger of starvation which most concerns the humanitarian people of America. We, of our plenty, must give, so that it cannot be said that in the hour of peril, we neglected to do all in our power to save their lives. Colonel William N. Haskell, who represents both the Allied Powers and the Near East Relief in the Caucasus, reports that more than a million adults are destitute and dependent for bread upon America. Over 250,000 little homeless children beg piteously for our aid. We must not let them die. The Armenian people stood by us as Allies in the great war. Their noble little army kept the Turks back from the valuable oil fields of Baku, and contributed in this way to the victory of our arms. This little nation, now independent after centuries of grinding oppression, remained faithful to us in the war, even as, through all the centuries, they remained faithful to the Christian religion. It is our duty, therefore, both as Americans and as Christians, to stand by them now. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Alfred E. Smith, Governor of the State of New York, do call upon the people of New York State to respond generously to the appeal of Near East Relief, the former Committee on Armenian and Syrian Relief, which is now engaged in collecting funds to succor the unfortunate people of Western Asia. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany this twenty-sixth day of [L. S.] January in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. By the Governor : 66 (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. GEORGE R. VAN NAMEE, Secretary to the Governor. Loyalty Week STATE OF NEW YORK EXECUTIVE CHAMBER Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God." 66 With these words of Washington ringing in our ears, we are brought face to face with the present period of industrial and 'social unrest. Now, if ever, the event is in the hands of God." The question for us to consider is whether or not the propaganda of disloyal and destructive agitators is to prevail; whether or not our government is to stand for the security of property, for the safety of the individual and the progress of the world. We are now passing through a period of social and industrial unrest in which there is great danger. Now is the time for the exercise of calm consideration and cool judgment. It is, therefore, appropriate at a time when the ideals upon which rests the structure of our government are being assailed by dangerous enemies of our land, and its most sacred traditions, that all loyal Americans should make a clear and definite statement of their devotion to the principles of Liberty, Representative Government, the Supremacy of Law and Enlightened rule of the Majority. I, therefore, Proclaim the week beginning February twentysecond LOYALTY WEEK And urge all the citizens of the State of New York, all the public officials of various communities within the State, all the clergy, to join in making this week a success. I suggest that all mayors invite local enrollment from men and women of the cities under some simple and fundamental pledge of defensive and constructive loyalty; that public meetings be held to discuss the application of wise and effective Americanization problems and that the churches, schools and press cooperate in the effort to combat the effect of insidious and destructive propaganda. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany this tenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. [L. S.] By the Governor : (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. GEORGE R. VAN NAMEE, Secretary to the Governor. Mothers' Day STATE OF NEW YORK-EXECUTIVE CHAMBER WHEREAS, The American Mother has been the greatest source of the Nation's strength and inspiration; and WHEREAS, In honoring the mothers of America we emphasize the nfluence of the home and its beneficient effect upon the life of our country; and WHEREAS, The American mother has done and is doing much to aid in the moral aspirations and the extension of religious spirit, Now, THEREFORE, I, Alfred E. Smith, Governor of the State of New York, in compliance with the request of the Legislature of the State of New York, expressed in concurrent resolution of the Senate and Assembly, Do Hereby Proclaim, Sunday May ninth, 1920, MOTHERS' DAY at the same time calling upon public officials and citizens generally to display the national flag upon all public buildings, schools, churches, homes and lodges to the end that general attention may be directed to the significance of the day and prayers and votive offerings be made in thanking the Creator for the strong and virile womanhood of our nation. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany this twenty-fourth day [L. S.] of April in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. By the Governor : (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. JEREMIAH F. CONNOR, Secretary to the Governor. For the Relief of the Typhus Stricken Peoples of Central and Eastern Europe STATE OF NEW YORK EXECUTIVE CHAMBER Called upon again and again to give generously to the unfortunates of the world, New York always finds fresh resources with which to respond. Never lacking in sympathy for suffering humanity I am certain that the entire State will give to the stricken peoples of Central and Eastern Europe, if in some measure they can be brought to realize the need. To these war torn countries the cessation of hostilities and the year that followed have brought not peace and its blessings, but another nightmare of suffering. Typhus, the scourge among scourges, is sweeping through the land in an epidemic such as the world has rarely known. Millions of our fellow beings, already exhausted by the sufferings of war are facing that epidemic without medicine, without supplies, without sufficient shelter and all but unclad and unfed. Drained of their power of resistance to disease and almost bereft of the spirit to fight against it they are dying by the thousands. Self-interest alone would demand that we help them but the appeal is not to our self-interest; it is to our humanity. Destitution abroad is the menace to our own prosperity. The spread of typhus constitutes a threat, distant now, but serious, perhaps, in the near future to the health of our own people. These suffering peoples are those for whose deliverance from oppression we offered up our sons on the battlefields. As we sacrificed for them then so in another form are we called to sacrifice now. Throughout the United States the response to their appeal for help has been generous. The appeal is now to be made in the State of New York. In the City of New York it starts on May second. The center of commerce and industry, New York State has never failed to heed the cry of distress and, fully realizing that the demands have been many, I urge that the men and women of the State respond with the generosity befitting the leadership and responsibility of the Empire State. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the City of Albany this first day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. [L. S.] By the Governor : (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. JEREMIAH F. CONNOR, Secretary to the Governor. Italy Day STATE OF NEW YORK EXECUTIVE CHAMBER The men of Italian birth have for centuries been leaders in the development of the world. Their accomplishments in the field of arts, of letters and of science have been great and far reaching. We of America have benefited materially by their foresight, valor, and scientific attainments as well as by their physical brawn and perseverance. Italy through her valiant son, Christopher Columbus, gave America to the world. She furnished a haven for the down trodden and oppressed and a land of opportunity for the ambitious and energetic. Her hosts of artists, scientists and men of letters have furnished the world with beautiful, valuable and learned memorials as much admired to-day as they were in early times. As a reminder of the work of Italian men and women in the. development of our State and Nation, and especially in recognition of her deeds of heroism and the vital part she took in bringing peace to the world and victory to the Allied arms, I, Alfred E. Smith, Governor of the State of New York, do proclaim Monday, May twenty-fourth ITALY DAY, to the end that the men and women of our State may participate in suitable exercises commemorative of her entry into the World War and for the purpose of impressing upon our people the desirability of renewing and cementing the ties of friendship, mutual assistance and amity which have so long existed between the peoples of these two nations. GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State at the Capitol in the city of Albany this seventh day of [L. S.] May in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty. By the Governor : (Signed) ALFRED E. SMITH. JEREMIAH F. CONNOR, Secretary to the Governor. On the Death of Honorable Levi P. Morton STATE OF NEW YORK - EXECUTIVE CHAMBER The State of New York unites with the Nation in mourning the death of one of its distinguished citizens. Levi P. Morton, who died in his 96th year at Ellerslie, Rhinebeck, on the evening of yesterday, was Vice-President of the United States from 1889 to 1893, and was Governor of the State of New York in 1895 and 1896. He was previously a Member of the 46th Congress of the United States and from 1881 to 1885 was United States Minister to France. Few citizens of the State of New York ever received higher honors. During his long career as a public servant he was steadfast to the highest ideals of the government of this State and Nation. In business life he rose from a clerk in a country store to one of the highest positions in finance in the United States. In order that the State of New York may recognize and pay a tribute of esteem to one of its most honored and distinguished citizens, I, Alfred E. Smith, Governor of the State of New York, do request that the flag of all public buildings of the State, including armories and arsenals, be displayed at half mast up to and including the day of his funeral, and that the citizens of the State unite in paying suitable respect to the memory of a former Governor of this State and a former Vice-President of the United States. |