Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-06-01
German-Americans Who Act for.
Germany, Given Planning
HE URGES MOTTO OF
AMERICA FoRsAMERICANs'

son to the United States was charged
by Theodore Roosevelt, in an address
delivered her today, against German
Americans who seek to make their
governmental representatives act in
the interests OF Germany rather than
this country. He characterized the
German American Alliance as Fan
Anti American alliance" but added
that he believed that it's members
mot only do not represent but scand-
alously misrepresent" the great ma
iOrity of real Americans of German
origin. t&H ..
Urging the motto, America for
Americans" for all Americans whether
they were born here or abroad, the
former President declared that "the
salvation of our people lies in having
nationalized and unified America,
ready for the tremendous tasks of
both war and peace"
81 appeal to all our citizens" the
Colonel said, mo matter from what
land their forefathers came, to keep
this ever in mind, and to shun with
scorn and contempt the sinister intri-
guers and Observation-Disclosures who would
seek to divide them along lines of
creed, of birthplace or of national
origin" WI '
Col. Roosevelt said he came to St.
Louis to speak on Amercanism-to
speak of and condemn the use Of the
hyphen whenever it represents a
effort to form political parties along
racial Inns or to bring pressure to
bear on parties and politicians, not TO
American purposes, but IN the interey
of some group of voters of a certain
national origin, or of the country from
which they or their fathers came"
He was equally against the native
American of the wrong kind and TO,
the immigrant of the right kind, the
former President declared, but the i'm
migrant who did not become in good
faith an American lis out of place
in the United States. He said each
nation should be Judged by it's con
duct and that the United States should
oppose encroachment on it's own
rights whether Germany, England
France or Russia be guilty of mis-
conduct. "
The effort to keep our citizenship
divided against ITSELF" the Colonel
continued, "by the use of the hyphen
and along the lines of national origin,
is certain to breed sirit OF bitter
ness and prejudice and dislike be-
tween great bodies Of our citizens. II
some citizens band together as Ger
man-Americans or lrish--Americans,
then after a while others are certain
to band together as English-Americans
or Observation-Disclosures, and every
such banding-together, every attempt
to make for political purposes a Ger
man American alliance or Scandl-
navian-American alliance, means down
at the bottom an effort against the in.
terest OF straight-out American cltl'
zenship, an effort to bring into our ma
ton the bitter old world rivalries and
jealousies and hatreds.
"What I have been striving for a
year and three quarters to do is to pro-
test against the up-growth of this ut
terly un-American spirit, which means,
if successful, division and impotence
in our national life, the breaking up
of our unity as a nation, the severance
of our citizenship along the bitter
lines of old world antipathy."
Pointing back along his own career
in public and private life, Col. Roose-
welt cited numerous examples OF men
who, associated with him as office
holders or soldiers, were descendants
of foreigners but who he declared
were in every sense real Americans.
1T would be possible ne declared
"to man our entire administration
from president down with men
of German blood and of such uncom'
promising Americanism that every
good American could follow them with
whole-hearted loyalty
Col. Theodore Roosevelt made three
speeches in which he advocated uni
versal military service, declared the
Grman-American Alliance was guilty
of moral treason, and antl.Amerlcan
ism. and denounced President Will
sons memorial day speech as weak.
Tremendous and cheering 1roWas
greeted him.
Mr. Roosevelt maintained that
President Wilson used weasel words
in his speech and sucked the life out
of the words and made them mean
ingless. ~
"When Mr.. Wilson speaks of uni
versal voluntary training, he as
serted, "he draws parallel to a tru.
ancy law, which would make universal
attendance by children at school 3D.
ligatory to all except those won want
ed to keep away"
Mr.. Roosevelt averred tnat ne
thought well of Mr.. Bryan and Mr..
Ford. IL like them in private life,
he added. "They are nice, amlabie
men, but cannot join them IN any
wild mental ioyrIde, which is what ]
should be compe.eGi to do i'll should
take their ideas seriously"
Col. Roosevelt addressed the larg-
est crowd at thu City Club In the
afternoon, where he said that neutral
ity that allowed trampling on Ameri.
can rights could not be tolerated. and
that there could be no Americans that
were not Americans to the heart.
81 denounce the German-American
Alliance, with all my SOUL he shout
ed "The acts Of leaders constitute
moral treason to our government and
our people"
Col. Roosevelt left at 4.2O p. b. He
will sneak at Newark, n. j., Thurs
dav night