Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-12-07

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national life. who have sought to bring
tae authority and good name of our
gov eminent into contempt. to destroy
our industries wherever they thought
it effective for their vindictive pur-
poses to strike at them and 10 deosse
our politics TO the uses Of foreign IN
erigue. Their number Is not great rs
COMPARED with the whole number OF
those sturdy hosts by which our ma
ton has been enriched In recent gen
erations out Of virtse foreign stocks,
but 1t is great enough to have brought
deep disgrace upon Us and to have
made it necessary that we should
promptly make use OF processes of law
by which we may be purged OF their
corrupt distempers.
America never witnessed anything
like this before. 1t never dreamed 1t
possible that men sworn into its own
citizenship, men drawn out OF great
free stocks such as supplied some OF
the best and strongest elements OF that
little. but how heroic. nation that In
high day Of old staked its very life to
free itself from every ENHANCEMENT
that had darkened the fortunes of the
older nations and set up new stand
ard here-that men OF such origins and
such free choices of allegiance would
ever turn in maiign reaction against
the government and people who had
welcomed and nurtured them and seek
to make this proud country once more
a hotbed of European passion. A lit
tie while ago such thing would have
seemed Incredible Because it was in
credible we 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 neighborsi But the ugly
and incredible thing has actually come
about, and we are without adequate
federal laws TO deal with IL / 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 self respect
Of the nation. Such creatures Of pas
sion, dIs1oyalty and anarchy must be
crushed out They are not many, but
they are infinitely malignant, and the
hand Of our power should close over
tfssm at once. They have formed plots
to destroy property. they have entered
into conspiracies against the neutrality
of the government, they have sought
to pry into every confidential trans
action of the government in order to
serve interests alien 10 our own. It is
possible to deal with these things very
effectually / need not suggest the
terms in which they may be dealt with.
/ wish that it could be said that only
a few men. misled by mistaken senti-
ments of allegiance to the governments
under which they were born, had been
guilty Of disturbing the self possession
and misrepresenting the temper and
principles OF the country during these
days of terrible war, when 1t would
seem that every man who was truly an
American would instinctiyeiv make 1t
his duty and his pride to keep the
scales of judgment even and prove him
self r partisan of no nation but his
own. But 1t cannot. There are some
men among as and many resident
abroad who, though born and bred in
the United States and calling them
selves Americans. have so forgotten
themselves aud their honor as citizens
as TO put their passionate sympathy
with one or the other side In the great
European conflict above their regard
for the peace and dignity of the United
States. They also preach and practice
disioyalty. No laws, I suppose, can
reach corruptions Of the mind and
heart, but should not speak of Others
without also speaking of these and ex
pressing the even deeper humiliation
and scorn which every self possessed
and thoughtfully patriotic American
must feel when he thinks of them and
Of the discredit they are daily bringing
upon us.
What is more important is that the
industries and resources of the country
should be available and ready for
mobilization. 1t is the more impera
lively necessary. therefore, that we
should promptly devise means for do
ing what we have not yet done-tha;