The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-31
Colonel Rooseuelt's Speech
In St. Louis Today

In speaking before the st. Louis
City club this afternoon, Colonel
Roosevelt said:
Here in St. Louis I wish to speak
briefly on the subject of American
ism l stand for straight American
ism unconditional and unqualified,
and ! stand against every form Of
hyphenated Americanism. 1 do not
speak of the hyphen when 1t is en-
pioyed as a mere matter of conven-
fence, although personally l like to
avoid its use even in such manner. l
speak of and condemn it's use when
ever it represents an effort to form po-
Iitical parties along racial lines 0r to
bring pressure to bear on parties and
politicians. not for American purposes.
but in the interest of some group of
voters of certain national origin,
of the country from which they or
their fathers came.
The Substance of Americanism.
Americanism is not matter of
creed, birthplace or national descent,
but of the soul and of the spirit. If
the American has the right stuff in
him. l care not a snap of my fingers
whether he is Jew or Gentle. Catholic
or Protestant 1 care not a snap of
my fingers whether his ancestors came
over in the Mayflower. or whether he
was born, or his parents were born.
in Germany, ireland, France, Eng
land, Scandinavia, Russia or Italy or
any other country. All 1 ask of the
Immigrant is that he shall be physi-
cally and intellectually fit, of sound
character, and eager in good faith TO
become an American citizen. If the
immigrant is of the right kind I am
for him, ard if the native American
is of the wrong kind I am against him.
But unless the immigrant becomes in
good faith an American and loyal only
to our flag, then he is out of place in
this country and the sooner he leaves
it the better.
Our Country Should Be First
We in this country form a new ma
ton, akin to, but different from, each
of the nations of Europe. AS Alex
neither Greeks nor Trojans. but
Americans. We are false to this
country if we rank ourselves as Ger
man-Americans" or "English-Ameri-
cans "lrish-Americans'' or French
Americans" Our duty is to the Unit
ed States. This duty should con-
strain in the first place to treat
the other nations primarily accord
ing to the way such treatment serves
American interests; and in the second
place so far as possible to treat other
nations IN such manner as serves the
interests of mankind at large. Every
nation acts sometimes well and some
! =
for or against any nation accordingly
as its behavior tells for good or for
evil in the particular crisis with Whic h
we have actually to deal. We should
be friendly to all nations, and in any
crisis we should Judge each nation by
its conduct in that crisis We should
condemn the misconduct of any ma
ton, we should oppose its encroach-
ments upon our rights with equal Wig
or. whether it be Germany. England,
France, Russia or any other power,
| according to what it actually does on
the given occasion with which we have
to deal.
One Nationality Essential.
So much for our treatment of other
nations. Now for our own citizens
We represent many different race
strains. Our ancestors came from
many different Old World national
tiles. 1t will spell ruin to this nation
| if these nationalities remain separated
from one another instead of being as
simulated to the new and larger Amer
| lean life.
| The children and children's children
of all of us have to live here in this
land together. Our children's children
other. your children's children
friends, and mine. They will be the
citizens of one country. Even if they
wished, they could not remain citizens
of foreign countries The attempt to
keep them with a half citizenship
with a divided loyalty, split between
devotion to the land in which they
were born and in which their children
are to dwell, and the land from which
/ their fathers came, will merely mean
that they fail to remain citizens OF
! the old-world land and yet do not get
| the benefit of being citizens of the
new-world land. The effort to keep
our citizenship divided against itself
by the use of the hyphen and alons
| the lines of national origin is certain
to breed spirit of bitterness anc
prejudice and dislike between greaf