New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-13
Utilization of Ownership
Must Be Next Step in
Preparedness, He Says.
WOULD HAVE ARMY
ENLIST RAILROADS
Motor and Engineering Plants in
Programme-Elects Russians
TO Hyphen Club.

Ex-President Roosevelt delivered an
address on "Americanism" last nigh;
70 large and enthusiastic audience al
the annual Knights Of Columbus cele-
bration in Carnegie Hall. The Colonel
got much applause when he de-
nounced "hyphenated Americans" and
propounded his doctrines of prepared
ness for war in times Of peace. Re
sneered at the recent efforts OF Ger
many, Austria and even Russia TO
foster a spirit Of native loyalty among
the Americanized immigrants from
those countries, particularly the work
ers in munition factories.
THE foreign-bon population OF this
country must be an Amerieanized pop
ulation," he said. "No other kind can
fight the battles Of America, either in
war or In peace. There is no room IN
this country for hyphenated Amer.
cans. When | refer to hyphenated
Americans ! do not refer TO naturaliZed
Americans. Some of the best Amer
cans | have ever known were natural
lied Americans. Americans born abroad.
But n hyphenated American Is not an
American at all. Americanism is a
matter of the spirit and the soul. Our
allegiance must be purely TO the United
States.
az an immigrant is not fit 10 become
an American citizen he should not be
allowed to come here. If he is ut he
should be given all the rights 10 earn
his livelihood and to better himself
that any man can have"
Urges Swiss Method.
The speaker said that he agreed en-
tirely with those who feel that many
excellent possible citizens would De
barred by an illiteracy test lie sug,
gested that aliens should be admitted
under bond TO read and write at some
certain time. He declared that 1t was
one of the first duties Of America 10
provide means for the immigrant 10
learn the English language.
"The one absolutely certain way OF
bringing this nation TO ruin Colonel
Roosevelt continued, "of preventing all
possibility of its continuing TO be ma
ton at all, would be to permit 1t TO
become a tangle of squabbling nation
alities. an intricate knot Of German
Americans. Irish Americans, English
Americans. French-Americans. Scandi-
navian- or Italian Americans,
each preserving its separate national
itv. each at heart feeling more sym
pathy with Europeans of that nation.
atty than with the other citizens OF
the American Republic.
"For an American citizen to vote as
a German-American, an lrish-Amerlcan
or an English-American is to be a
traitor to American institutions; and
those hyphenated Americans who ter
rorize American politicians by threats
of the foreign vote are engaged IN
treason to the American Republic"
Colonel Roosevelt said that in order
to carry out this declaration OF prln-
ciples it was first necessary TO place
far less emphasis on the question OF
right and much greater emphasis on
the matter of duty. He said no repub-
lie could succeed in the tremendous IN
ternational stress Of the modern world
unless it's citizens possessed that form
of high-minded patriotism which con-
sisted in putting devotion to duty be-
fore the question of individual rights.
He declared that the only permanent
safe attitude for this country as re-
CARDS national defence was along the
lines of universal service on the Swiss
model.
Referring to preparedness, he said:
81 am, as you know, most ardent
believer in national preparedness
against war as means Of securing
that honorable and self-respecting
peace desired by all high-spirited peo-
pie. But 1t is an absolute impossibility
to secure such preparedness in full and
proper form if il is an isolated feature