The Alaska daily empire., 1915-11-03
AMERicA FIRsr"

lNcu York Wofdl
 @ do uo, believe lhs government con endure per manent'v haif slave and hai 'lce.' 11l Lincoln iN his sprlnrued Convention speech oi June l6. ls5s Nor can it endure hlii American and haii aHen
 Prcs'dcn, Wilson. n hs address before the lioin ters or Che Revolution defined Che most vital issre tio Che people oi Che United siotc1 have laced since 5'' cry and accession were ihro,ted-A America First inia issue goes to Che very ne o, he Republic An ihe po fcai difaroncos al Che economic differences. aN no Industrial differences oi the laet fifty yoa7- were u Hing in comparison VIth Che fundamcnia question or whether lhe American people pro he American people or whether they ore O congoriea oi European 'mni
 nis who recognize no alcglCnco patriotism Co ihc country oi thor adoption
 Iincoins scrlpiorai warning Chat "a house divided against Iseii cannot stand" s as applicable today aa f was n lS5S Hynhcr1tcd Amcricarism ls not teo- son within tho narrow iegai definition Of iho contliu uon. but t is moral treason and it s form Of moral treason ihai il it is tolerated. must inevitably bring about One diginirgsdcn of ihc Nation.
 air Roosevelt did mol, oversiate One ease when he said n his speech Go che Knights Of Columbus loot night cchons Che sentiments ihai President Wilson nAu rolced tho day before In Washington.
 For an American citizen io vote as
 0erman-Amerlcan. an lrsh-Amercan or an
 Eneileh-Amcrcan is to be trolto q Go
 American institutions. and those hyphon-
 alcd Americans who lerrorre American pol.
 iucIans by thrclts of thc foreign vote ore
 engaged In treason to Che American Re-
 public
 President Wilson could DO, well answer these threats because they have been made against him per sonaiy but Mr. Roosevelt has answered thom for him. and the sentiment ai Mr. Roosevelt expressed in ths quotation from his speech must hc Che sentiment oi every American who s loyal Co his country io hs coun trys dag and Co his countrys institutions
 The issue which President Wilson SO lolicliousy stated u thevoris "AmerIca Frst" cannot he evaded u must be met n One coming scssiou oi Congress it may bc mci m che National campaign cl 1916. and on this Issue every America nvoter has a right io know bow hls neIshbor stands
 The blame Tor One situation that conlronts Che country does not rest alone upon Che hypncnated c gen. lt must hc shared by men who knew better but who capitalized Che foreign vote ior sordd partisan add vantage.
 For years managing politicians of both parties hare made a business or manipulating this vote and have helped thereby to maintain iia solidarity. Every cam. pairn has had its appeal io One German rote GO tho Irish yoe to Che Jewish vote Go he Italian vote to the Scandinavian voito to Che Polish foto and Co any o,n' fini chat desperate nrrii1-nonn could cons soiaie and reach
 How could true Amerlcanism be expected to take root In a soil chat American politicians deliberately siaryed Of ils Amercanlsm,
 Tn Che easy tolerant humorous way of Che Anor'- can people these appeals to Che racIa coneciousneas oi thc foreign voter have been treated payiuy and icstngy but Che foreign voter has not always regard ed them in ihai spirit He has often taken them ser. ioueiy and he naturally came Go believe that hc was Important politically not because be was an American citizen but because he was German Irish or Italian or Polish or Scandinavian. or Jew. unti we have at Inst reached a siage ai which President oi he Untod States can bo threatened here and n Europe with po tca cxermInlton for daring Go put Che interests or tho United States above che interests of European mon arches
 Presidon. Wilson s not aonein his desire io 'haro lineup and ict che men who thinking first Of oih- CT countries stand Co one sde-boiic1r It should oe Che ie1-and au those who are for America nrat last and an Che time on hc other sldc" We cannot have this lineup too soon and hc rcsuii cannot bo allowed Co remain In doubt Either an overwhelming majority oI American citizens regardless oi their racial origin are for America "nrst last and ali ihe tiuc or Che Republic s a failure and ar fhc blood chat shed n Che Revolutionary War and in Che Civil War shed i1 vain