Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-31
ancestry. The man who thus acts is the
hyphenafed American

ancestry. The man who thus acts is the
hyphenated American.
This is not mere abstract question
which I am discussing. AT this very
moment it is blazoned forth in the pub
lie press that branches of the German
American Alliance. so-cal1ed. in differ
ent parts of the country are attempting
to coerCe timid and inscriptions poll
ticians by threatening to vote against
them, or by actually voting against
them, when the German American AL
lance regards their action as unsatis-
factory from the standpoint not of the
United States. but of Germany. These
branches of the alliance openly take
the ground that they intend to shape
American politics in the interest not of
the United States. but of Germany. the
German American Alliance of Pennsyl-
vania. for instance. as reported in the
public press. states that it intends to
show the leaders of the national con-
ventions that they have to deal with a
united German American vote.
Such statement represents moral
treason to the republic. Branches of
the German American Alliance in other
parts of the country have used practi-
cally the same language The aIlance
has put forth no program auectlns
America. The program on which 1t
wishes American citizens to vote is one
affecting Germany and only Germany
do not in the least object to 1t ne
cause it denounces me. 1t has de-
nounced Mr.. Wilson almost as often
and almost as severely. One of its ia
vorite forms of denunciation includes
Mr. Wilson. Mr.. Root and myself as
equally to be opposed in the interest
of Germany.
Moral Treason to United States.
ut is moral treason to the United
States for any of it's citizens to act and
to seek to make their governmental
representatives act. not with reference
to the interests of the United States,
but of some foreign power. The Ger
man American Alliance is. In practice
an anti-American alliance. Any such
political organization, whether Ger
n-American. Irish American or
Ensli sh American. is not a healthy ele-
nent of the body polite.
ANY body of our citizens have a per-
feet right to oppose any man because of
a difference of judgment concerning
American problems. but it has no right
to deal with American public servants
or American public men on the basis
of the interests of some foreign power
The men who SO act are disloyal to
the United States. and I say this just
as quickly of men trying to serve Eng
land or France as / say it of men try
American who acts as an English
American Just as strongly as l con-
denim the American citizen who acts
as 'Germa Am erican.
If France had subjugated Belgium I
would condemn her just as strongly as
I have condemned Germany. If British
had sunk German passenger
vessels and taken the lives OF hundreds
of American men, women and children.
as German submarines did in the case
10 Ncyt oy,fo la h avrI AL
vessels. ! would have condemned any
English American who excused the
act as unhesitatingly as I have con-
demned and now condemn the Ger
apologize for the actions of the Ger
man submarines. l would condemn
as strongly the actions of any of our
people who sought to make this coun-
try subservient to England as ] now
condemn those whoseek to make it
not merely un-Am erican: they are anti
American to the core and unfit to be
citizens of this republic.
Il believe that the men thus acting
not only do not represent. but scan
misrepresent the great jor-
ity of real Americans of German origin.
believe that the great mass of Amer
leans of German origin are now,
they have always been. among the
most patriotic and loyal citizens in
this country"
Knife Thrown at the Colonel.
Col Roosevelt got to Kansas City
and in several speeches
sounded an appeal for preparedness,
declaring vigorously for universal train
ing based on universal service.
A pocket knife was thrown at Col.
motor car during the Me-
mortal day parade, and it struck the
arm of John Nv. McGrath, the former
Presidents secretary, and fell to the
running board of the car. McGrath
50 id later there was no force behind the
knife. and he believed some one had
tossed il toward the car as joke. Col.
Roosevelt was told of the incident, and
a fterward his secretary issued this
col. Roosevelt regards the matter as