Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-07-01
FOURTH Of JULY ADDRESS
COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT

manded American troops in battle has
commanded men who were born
abroad, men Of native birth whose par
ents were born abroad and men Of old
revolutionary stock: and such COM
mander has been no true American II
he failed to treat all these men alike
on common basis, and to Judge them
soldierly efficiency. He must insist
that all alike occupy exactly the same
position of unfaltering and single
minded loyalty to the American flag,
and OF complete severance OF recogni-
tion of or loyalty to any foreign power
whatsoever; and in return he must
not only in act but in feeling put all
who go behave on a plane of abso-
Lutte equality of treatment according to
conduct, foreign born and native born
Catholic, Protestant and Jew, stand
ing on an exact level. What is thus
true of military life is no less true
of civil life.
upon complete Americanization of the
foreign-born citizen in our country
must remember that duty and right
should always go hand in hand; that
there must ever be mutuality of OBJ
legation. Our attitude is necessary
and proper when we insist upon COM
plete Americanization as a matter of
duty on the part of the immigrant; !;
but 1t is proper only if we give to
the immigrant who fully performs this
duty full and frank assurance that
in return he shall be admitted to an
absolute equality Of right with the
native-horn. 1t is a wicked and alb.
horrent thing for any American of
German parentage or German birth to
fail to denounce the action of Germany
In the case of the Gulfight and the
Lusitania precisely as he would de-
nounce 1t If the offense were commit
ted by an English or a French in
stead of a German submarine. 1t is
a wicked and abhorrent thing for such
citizen not to understand that his
whole and undivided loyalty is due to
the United States, and only to the
States. But it is no less wicked and
abhorrent to discriminate against the
good citizen who is without reserve
and completely an American because
he Is Of German birth or descent (and,
incidentally, the present writer is
partly of German descent and has
found by forty years experience of
American life that there are no more
useful citizens of our country than
such Americans of German birth or
descenD. Moreover such misconduct
tends to defeat its own nominal pur-
pose, for it tends to perpetuate the
evil principle of group division by na.
tionalities, of dual nationalism, of
poly-nationalism, in American life.
This is just as true when the ami.
mostly is directed against the profes.
sors of given creed as when II is
directed against citizens of given ma.
tional origin. The very fact that we
believe as one Of the cardinal prin.
| ciples Of American public policy in
the non-sectarian public school, sup
ported by the money of the state, for
all who desire education at the ex-
pense Of the state, should make us
insist that Catholic and Protestant,
Jew and Gentle, are in every respect
theated alike as regards these schools.
The Catholic must be given exactly
the same rights as the Protestant in
the management of the schools, and in
teaching In them. The Protestant
who tries to keep a School Board ex.
clusively Protestant is an enemy of
the public schools; and so he is IL he
| tries to do the same thing with the
teaching force.
or course this applies in every form
of public life. The citizen, whether
Catholic or Protestant, Jew or Gentle
who votes for public man because
he is of the same religious creed is
a poor citizen, an unworthy citizen:
and he is just as poor q citizen, just
as unworthy of the name of Amerl
can, If he votes against man be,
cause he is Catholic, n Protestant
or Jew. Whenever in any state a
party and a creed tend to become
identified the result is, end can orly
be, mischievous. Let good citizens re-
member that this mischief Is bilater
al. Just as much damage to Ameri
canism is being done by the Protestant
who votes against a man because he
| (Continued On paoo ThraaN