The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-02

name after name of men of German
birth who as American citizens have
had distinguished records of intense
LOYALTY to the Union, and of eminent
national service as soldiers and
statesmen and above all as patriots.
In the Civil war a much larger pro-
portion of the citizens of immediate
German origin, than of the citizens of
old Colonial native stock, were loyal
to the Union. This state of Missouri,
like Maryland and Kentucky, owes the
fact that it stayed in the Union pri-
marily to the German element in it's
citizenship; and across the river in
Illinois, the debt owed by lovers of
the Union to the German element
was. almost as great. These men knew
no divided, no half hearted loyalty.
Carl SchurZ was a major general in
the army, a United States senator,
and a member of the presidents cab
met. He was no more fervently devot-
ed to the cause of the Union and free
dom in the Civil war, than to the
fight against political corruption and
against the spoils system in our po-
litical life when peace succeeded war.
By statue at Forest Park you of
this city have COMMUNICATED the
services of Major General Franz Sigel
who here entered the United States
service So did the after time Major
General Osterhaus, whose son served
under me as admiral while / was
president, and whose grandson, as
gallant and efficient young naval
officer as there was in the service,
served at one time as my aide. From
st. Louis there marched into the
Union army no less than nine regi-
ments, all of which had colonies born
in Germany This is a great record,
and it is typical Of the record made
throughout the Union by the men of
German birth or parentage. But it is
not a matter of pride merely to
Americans of German descent Every
American worth calling such thrills
at the thought of it. 1t is a record of
honor and glory for my children's
children just as much as for yours. 1t
is part of the common heritage of
pride bequeathed to all who dwell in
this great land of ours, to all whose
single hearted loyalty is given to it's
flag that floats over all of us.
'In my own regiment in Cuba,
among the most gallant men who
served under me, were men of Ger
man birth or parentage. They served
side by side with men of Irish birth
or parentage, and with men of old
native American stock; and they all
served with equal gallantry and with
equal devotion to the flag two of my
captains were killed at the very out
set. One was of old American stock,
a man whose forbears from father to
son had served in the United States
army for five generations. The other
was the son Of an Irish immigrant who
had himself fought in Meagher's brig
ade in the Civil war. Another of my
captains was born in Germany. Yet
another, who fought under me against
Spain, was Of almost pure, Spanish
descent. My orderly was the grandson
of German forty Fighter One OF
my best first sergeants was born in
Norway. Another was born in Italy;
and yet another was Of Polish parent
American and nothing else. They all
acted together as Americans. l would
have driven from the regiment any
man who tried to discriminate among
them because of difference in creed,
or because of the different lands In
which they or their forefathers were
born. Their honor was my honor. We
had one country. We bore proud al
legiance to one flag.
"The other day in Detroit, when
l spoke for universal service
based on universal training,
woman in the gallery called out
TO me, while she waved an Ameri-
can flag: 4 have two sons. offer
them if the need comes | an
sWered her, IF every mother in
cur country would make the same
Offer, there would be no need for
any mother to send her sons to
war; Now, from the press of the
following day saw that her name
was Mrs. Anna Neuer, wife of
MIR. D. M. Neuer. Her husband
judging from the name, must of
course be of German ancestry.
Her father fought on the Union
side in the Civil war. Her two
sons are not German Americans
any more than they are English
Americans or any other type of
,-hyphenated American. They are
Americans. That is an American
family. Mrs. Neuer represents the
type of woman that we like to
think of as typically American. All
am asking of our people is that
they shall be American exactly in
the sense that the Neuer family
is American.
"The salvation of our people lies in
having a nationalized and unified
America, ready for the tremendous
tasks of both war and peace. appeal
to all our citizens no matter from
what land their forefathers came to
keep this ever in mind and to shun
with scorn and contempt the sinister
intriguers and mischief makers who
would seek to divide them along lines
of creed, of birthplace, or of national
origin, I ask them to remember that
there is but one safe motto, for all
Americans, no matter whether they
were born here or abroad, no matter
from what land their ancestors came;
hot ;c 81, ,oIn