The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-20
And Promises to Press a Button That
VIII signal the Opening OF
Germantown Celebration.
TRIBUTE TO GOOD CITIZENS
GERMANS PRAISED FOR THEIR LoY.
Atty DURING THE CIVIL WAR,
And for What They Have Contributed
to the National Characteristic
Invited to Dutch Church.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10. - President
Roosevelt received to-day in the East Room
of tie White House about 80 representa-
tives of the German societies OF Washing
ton to whom he delivered a brief address.
The delegates called on the President for
mally to announce TO him the opening next
Monday evening of their celebration of the
25Oth anniversary of the founding of Ger
mantown, Pa. and to ask him TO particle
pate in 1t. The President viii press an
electric button at the White House which
will flash I'm electric lights the opening OF
the celebration in Convention Hall.
After short address of Mr.. voelckner.
of the societies, President Roosevelt adj
dressed the delegates as follows.
MIR. Voelckner and Gentlemen-It gives
me peculiar pleasure to greet you to-day,
and it is a matter Of real regret to me that
1 cannot attend formally your celebration
You are quite right, Mr.. Chairman, when
you speak OF the stand that the Gerrns
element in our citizenship has always takeN
first place. from the beginning of our
colonial history to this day, the German
strain has been constantly increasing IN
go TO make up our composite national char
acter:
of the early German immigration TO this
Countrywide German emigration that began
I'm a mass toward the end of the seven
teenth century-but before that time had
been represented among the very first set
tiers. Allow me to give you a bit of an
cestral experience of mine The first head
of the New York city government, who vas
of German BIRTH was Leisler, in about the
year $780, He was the representative OF
the popular faction in the New York colony
of that day. and among the Leislerian
aldermen was ~ forbear of mine, named
Roosevelt Yod are entirely familiar, Of
course, with the German immigration that
went to the formation of Pennsylvania
equally strong in the Mohawk valley In
New York; II was equally strong In mid
die and western Maryland. For instance.
in the revolutionary war one of the distin-
guished figures contributed by New York
to the cause of independence was that Ger
man Herkimer, whose fight In the Mohawk
valley represented one OF the turning
points in the struggle for independence,
and one of the New York counties Is now
named after him.
field of Antietam, in Maryland. There the
memorial church is the German Lutheran
Church, which was founded in 176s. the
settlement in the neighborhood OF Antietam
being originally exclusively a German set
Element There is list of its pastors and
curiously enough series Of memorial win
dows of men with German names-men
who belonged to the Maryland regiment
recruited largely from that region for the
civil war, which Maryland regiment was
mainly composed OF men OF German ex-
traction. In the civil war II would be diff
ficult to paint in too strong colors what I
may we'll nigh call the all Importance OF
the attitude of the American citizens OF
German birth and extraction towards the
cause of union and liberty, especially in
what were then known as the border States.
1t would have been out of the question to
keep Missouri loyal had IT not been Tor
the German element therein. IL was the
German portion of st. Louis which formed
the core of the Union cause in Missouri
And but little less important was the part
played by the Germans I'm Maryland, and
also I'm Louisville and other portions OF
Kentucky.
at il were proper In addressing a body
representing various creeds and shades OF
religious belief / should ask you all TO at.
tend services next Sunday at my church,
which happens to be. the German Reformed
Church They haven't Dutch Reformed
Church here. SO 1 go to the nearest to II.
Each body of immigrants. each element
that has thus been added to our national
strain. has contributed something OF value
10 the national character and TO no ele-
ment do we owe more than we owe to that
element represented by those whom I have
the honor this day OF addressing"
At the conclusion of the address the Pres
ident extended a cordial personal greeting
10 each one Of the delegates.