The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-08

! to It. l have had in my mind no
thought of any immediate or pars
ticuIgr danger arising out of yur re-
lations with other nations. We are al
peace with all the nations OF the
world. and there Ia reason to hope
| that no question In controversy be-
| tween this and other governments
| viii lead to ANY serious breach oil
/ amtcable relations, grave AS some DIFF
ferences Of attitude and policy have
been and may yet turn out to be.
! I am sorry to say that the Eravest
threats against our national peace
and safety have been uttered within
our own borders. There are citizens
Of the United States, i blush o-admit,
born under other flags, but well
coined under our generous naturaliza-
ton laws to the full freedom and OPP
portunity of America. who have pour
ed the poison OF disloyalty into the
very arteries or our national life:
who have sought to bring the au-
| thority and good name of our Gov
| eminent into contempt, to destroy our
! industries wherever they thought 1t
effective for their vindictive purposes
to strike at them. and to debase our
! politics to the uses of foreign in
| trigue. Their number Is not great
as compared with the whole number
of those sturdy hosts by which our
nation has been enriched In recent
generations ont of virile foreign
stocks but it is great enough to have
brought deep disgrace upon US and
| to have made it necessary that we
should promptly make use of pro-
cssses of law by which We may be
purged of their corrupt distenH,ers,
America never witnessed anything
like this before 1t never dreamed 1t
possible that men sworn into it's own
citizenship, men drawn out of great
free stocks such AS supplied some of
I the best aud strongest elements of
that little. but how heroic. nation
/ that in IL high day of old staked its
Very life to free itself from every
enlargement that had darkened the
fortunes OF the older nations and set
up new standard here--that men
or such origins and such free choices
of allegiance would ever turn in
malign reaction against the Govern
rnent and people who had welcomed
and nurtured them and seek to make
this proud country once more hot
bed OF European passion. A. little
while ago such "a thing would have
seag2aa sRAredihis. Recausa II wes
incredible va made no. preparation
for It. we would have been almost
ashamed to prepare for it. as II we
were suspicious of ourselves, our own
comrades and neighbore, But the
ugly and incredible thing has actually
come about and we are without ade-
quate Federal laws to deal with ii.
I urge you to enact SUCH laws at the
earliest possible moment and feel that
! in doing so | am urging you to do
nothing less than save the honor and
seif-reapect of the nation. Such crea-
| lures OF passion. disloyalty and
i anarchy must be crushed out. They
/ are not many, but they are infinitely
malignant, and the hand OF our
| power should close over them at once.
, They have formed plots to destroy
| property. they have entered into con-
1 spiracies against the neutrality of the
/ Government they have sought to pry
! into every confidential transaction of
the Government In order to serve in
/ terests alien to our own. 1t is pos
sible to deal with these things very
| effectually. ! need not suggest the
terms in which they may be dealt
/, with.
| / wish that il could be said that
only few men. mi-led by mistaken
sentiments of allegiance to the gov
ernments under which they we're
1 born. had been guilty of distur bling
/ the self possession and misrepresent-
| ing the temper and principles of the
country during these days OF terrible
war, when IL would seem that every
b
would instinctively make II his duty
and his pride to keep the scales OF
judgment evan and prove himself a
partisan of 40 nation but his own.
but It cannot. There are some men
among us. and many resident abroad
who, though born and bred in the
United States and calling themselves
Americans. have so forgotten them
| selves and their honor an citizens as
their a 70 Wit
! one or the other side In the great
! European conflict above their regard
I for the peace and dignity of the
United States They also preach and
practice disloyAlty. No laws, / sup
pose. can reach corruptions Of the
mind and heart: but l should not
| speak OF others without also speak
/ ing of these and expressing the even
deeper humiliation and scorn which
every self-possessed and thoughtfuify
i patriotic American must feel when
/ he thinks of them and OF the dis
I credit they are daily bringing upon us,
Board Of Scientists.
! While we speak of the preparation
| of the nation to make sure OF her
security and her effective power we
must not fall into the patent error or
supposins that her real strength
comes from ornaments and mere
Sd&S afst oS w WINCH taN. ~ COH1eS,
Of course, from her people. their en-
/ ergy, their success IN their undertake
! ings, their free opportunity to use the
natural resources OF our great home
land and Of the lands outside our
/ continental borders which look to us
for protection. for encouragement and
for assistance In their development
/ from, the organization and Freedom.
and vitality of our ECONOMIC life. The
domestic questions which engaged the
attention Of the last Congress are
more vital to the nation In this its
time of test than at any other time.
We cannot adequately make ready for
any trial Of our strength unless we
wisely and promptly direct the force
of our laws into these all-importaut
! aelds Of domestic action. a matter
( which II seems to me we should have
very much at heart Is the creation
of the right Observation-Disclosures by
which to mobilize our economic re-
sources in any time of national neces-
sity. l take 1t for granted that I do
not need your authority to cali into
systematic consultation with the d.
recting officers OF the army and navy
~ ~na Lao