The Topeka state journal., 1916-05-01

the mass OF my iOW-cOuntrymen- l
speak to all men and women who are
loyal to the principles of those who in
the Revolutionary war made us a ma
ton, and who have in their souls the
high qualities possessed by the men
who in the iron days of the Civil war
followed the banners of Grant and of
Lee, and of the mothers and wives of
these men. My appeal may not be
needed; if so, then either our people
Will pay heed in time to the appeal
of some other man. able to speak
more strongly and more conVincingly,
or else they will when it is too late
learn the lesson from some terrible
gospel in which it is written by an
alien conqueror in letters of steel and
of flame.
Really Be a Nation.
The first necessity is that We shall
in good faith and without reservation
undertake to be nation and not
merely to call ourselves a nation. 1
make especial appeal to the national
spirit here in Chicago. here in the
great middle west here in the terri
tory stretching from the Alleghanies
TO the Rockies The prophets of gloom
nave said that the west, prosperous
ana indifferent, secure in her fancied
shety because she is in the middle of
the continent, cares nothing of the
dangers that might befall the cities on
the Atlantic or the pacific coast, cares
nothing for what has befallen the
dWelers along the Mexican boundary.
ana IS as Indifferent to what befaIls
ELSEWHERE as Peking once was to what
oefeH its outlying Chinese provinces
10 the ultimate ruin of Peking by the
way Thls | do not for one moment
believe. If L did, 1 should despair of
the republic This is to a peculiar de-
gree the democratic. the intensely and
cnaracterlSt1cally American section of
our land. The west produced for the
service of the whole nation Abraham
Lincoln and Andrew Jackson: and I
Know that their spirit is still the spirit
OF nef sons L appeal to the men of
rne West TO take the lead in the move
fneht Tor the genuine naturalization
OF our people If the republic founded
py washington and saved bv Lincoln
is to be turned into a mere polyglot
boarding house, where dollar-hunters
OF twenty different nationalities
bearing no real allegiance except to
the land from which it originally
came, then We may as well make IN
our minds that the great experinoe emf
OF democratic government on this CON
tlnent will have failed. No less will If
nave 1alled If each section thinks only
Of the welfare of that section and with
Grass blindness believes that disaster
10 some other section will not affect
IT, And the failure will be greatest
OF all if foolish men are persuaded nv
wicked men that one caste or class is
lhe prime enemy of some other class
or caste. 1 appeal to the men of the
east 10 prepare so that the men of the
Pacific slope shall be free from all
menace of danger. 1 appeal to the
men OF the west to prepare so that the
men OF the Atlantic coast shall be free
from all danger. I appeal to The
north, south, weS< and east alike to
hold the life of every man and the
honor OF every woman on the most
remote ranch on the Mexican border
ds sacred trust to be guaranteed bv
me might of our entire nation-and
tHe NE or every man, woman and
chlld who should be protected bv the
United States on the high seas like
wise. appeal to every good Aneri
can. whether farmer or merchant.
business man or professional man.
whether he works with brain or hand
Anything of disgrace or dishonor that
oe1alls our people anywhere is of vital
moment to all of us wherever we live.
and any deed that reflects credit on
the american name is a subject of
o.'I!' oonsratuIatlon for every American of
o'ely section Of this country.
Ruin in Division.
l speak of the United States nc
whole Surely it ought to be I1nneces-
sary 10 say that it spells as absolute
rum TO permit division among our Deo-
pie along the lines of creed or of ma
tlonal origin as it does to hermit III
vision by geographical section. We
must not stand merely for America
Iirst We must stand for America
Ilrst and last; and for no other nation
secohd-eXcept as we stand for fair
play Tor all nations. There can be no
divided loyalty in this country The
man VINO tries to be loyal to this conn
try and also to some other country is
tt, tGataln IN the end to put his loyalty to
tne other country ahead of his 10y
atty to this. The politico-racial
hyphen is the breeder of moral trea-
SON We are a new nation, by blood
AKIN to but different from all the ma
tlons OF Europe In the veins of our
people runs the blood of German.
Englishman and Irishman, of Scandi-
naVlan. Slav and Latin. ANY one of
these people can bring something of
NdIue 10 our common national life
Each can contribute social and c1II-
tural traditions and customs of vaI,Ia.
ana all must Join in cordial mutuality
or respect for whatever is valuable
that each brings; but each must nut
the contribution at the service of or1r
common and unified citizenship, and
by utilizing all that is thus contrib
uted' and by adapting and developing
II SO that II shall meet and express our
common needs, we shall build our
own distinctive national culture
There is no room in this country for
Gerrnan-Americans or English-Ameri-
cans, 1rish-Americans or French
Americans; just as there is no room
IN this country for a political party
oased upon fealty or opposition to any
particular creed. whether Protestant,
Catholic or Jew. There is Just one
way to be good citizen of the United
states and that is to be an American
and nothing else. This is not a oues-
ton of birthplace or national origin
or creed. Any big group of loyal and
patriotic Americans will include men
or many creeds and many different
race strains and birth places But
they will not be loyal and patriotic
Americans at all unless they are Amer
leans and nothing else The first step
in preparedness is dependent upon our
common and exclusive American ma
tionality.
Preparedness in Soul and Body.