The Washington herald., 1916-06-15
WILSON CHARGES
PLOT TO DEBASE
POLITICS OF US
Says Effort Is Being Made to
Use Campaign for Aiding
Foreign Intrigue.
ATTACKS HYPHENATES
Says Men Are Threatening to
Get Ever" for Failure to
Bow to Europe.
ATTACKS HYPHENATES

President Wilson hurled his challenge
into the teeth OF the Teutonio-American
alliances yesterday. In a Flag Day ad-
afoot to debase American politics to the
uses of foreign intrigues.
An effort is being made, the President
said, to levy a species OF political black
mail by men who are threatening to
wreak their vengeance at the polls upon
to foreign sentiment.
The President uttered an excoristion of
any man who will temporize with the sit
uation which he described. The nation is
being tested now, he said. The President
declared his confidence in the way in
which the nation will meet this test and
prove TO the world that it is indivisible.
1t was the strongest utterance that has
come from the President on the subject
of hyphenIsm and divided citizenship. Of
icials stated that the speech is but the
forecast of what the Democratic plat
form. formulated with the approval Of
the President, will have to say on this
subject.
Talk Was Significant.
The political significance of the Pres
ident's speech was frankly avowed by
his advisers. The President spoke of a
warning to the nation in general, of the
threat being made against its unity. but
II was a warning to ex-Justice Hughes,
the RepuhIicao presidapri.I % pdid,ta &c
we'll Mr.. Wilson's advisers regard Mr..
Hughes utterances on the subject OF
Americanism and hyphenated citizenship
as weak and inadequate. They have OBJ
served that the Republican candidate
seems assured OF the great majority of
the Germau-American vote
Mr.. Wilson and his campaign advisers
have resolved to draw this issue upon
Mr.. Hughes and to force from him a
more complete statement of his views on
Americanism.
They will picture the President as the
object of a conspiracy to accomplish his
political destruction because of his pol
icy toward Germany and will point to
the candidacy OF Justice Hughes as the
instrumentality through which the ven
seance is to be wreaked. Present indica-
tions are that the Democrats will attempt
to make this the paramount issue of the
early stages OF the national campaign.
In delivering his challenge to the
hyphenates, President Wilson said; az
want to be scrupulously just my feI-
low citizens, In assessing the circum-
stances OF this day, and I am sure you
wish with me to deal out with an even
hand the praise and the blame of this
day Of test. I believe that the vast ma
jority of those whose lineage is directly
derived from the nations now at war are
just as loyal to the flag of the United
States as any native citizen of this be-
loved land. but there are some men of
that extraction who are not, and they,
not only in past months, but at the pres
ent time, are doing their best to under
mine the influence of the government of
the United States
"DisIoynlty Must Be Crushed
There is disloyalty active in the United
states' and it must be absolutely crushed
1t proceeds from minority, very small
minority, but very active and subtle
minority. 1t works underground, but 1t
also shows its ugly head where we can
see it; and there are those at this mo-
ment who are trying to levy a species Of
political blackmail. saying: DO what we
wish in the interest of foreign sentiment
or we will wreak our vengeance at the
polls. That is the sort of thing against
CONTINUED On FACE FIVE