The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-09-10
HAMMOND
Gets PRAISE.
IN DETROIT

The Detroit News recently con-
tanned an article on Hammond and
Gary by wv. J, c." which is being
widely copied. 1t follows:
Everybody knows about Hammond.
Ind. Gary, and such places. That is.
everybody knows about them in a way.
For example. when tell you that the
relatives OF Americans IN Hammond
wrote and telegraphed begging them
to como away from the city and es-
cane the rioting that was certain 70
happen on Registration day, some OF
YOU Will say, Yes, that's Hammond.
That's Gary. That's all those foreign
communities
well, Hammond is foreign com
munity'-no doubt about that So
much so that they sometimes save
time by telling you how many Amer
leans live there. instead Of how many
foreigners. A social survey gave Ham
rnond's population as 6s per cent for
efEn born, which. with that So per
cents first Amsrican-born generation,
made the foreign complexion OF the
place pretty nearly unanimous. So
there seemed to be some basis for the
fear OF outsiders that Registration day
would see disorders. 1t was an ideal
time for a violent pro-German demon
stration-
Moreover, there had been plenty OF
pro- Germanisna Whereabouts previous to
our declaration Of war. I think I saw
more Of the inwardness of the Amer
lean brand OF pro-Germanism in Ham
nond than have been able to see
anywhere else. I mean the pro-Ger-
manism of common. honest folk First
liz ,F@1,r 0N s-uN
II is instinct to cleave to ones own
people when the common name is be-
ing ragged about in every kind OF de-
nunciation. In war between ones
own clan and another. ones sympa-
thies are inevitably with ones own.
REGARDLESS of right or wrong. It is
like standing by a son who goes
wrong. And then, second, 1t is the tie
made tighter by relief work. The in
tensity with which right-minded Ger
rnan-Americans threw themselves into
work for the German Red Cross tied
them TO the German military cause
with ties forged of pure human sym
patty, and postponed their consider
ing the war from any other angle.
found much evidence of this. And it is
entirely natural. The people we help
in their emergency are the people
we come to like. If you want to take
a lively interest in man. do some
thing for hint attaches you at
once. Thus did relief work produce
much Of the quality which we stig-
rnatized as pro-Germanism, though it
was only pro-humanity with clan
nish or national emphasis.
There was much Of this, as we'll as
some OF a less lovely sort. in Ham
mond
"But when the United States de-
clared war on Germany. 81 forced
sudden and serious readjustment upon
FIammond's foreign mentality.
Hammond claims the largest per-
centage OF voluntary enlistments in
the United States.
The first man to go was the leader
OF the Lutheran young peoples So
ciety. He was the first OF $50 men.
I hope you will read that figure again
and try to realize that II relates to
city like Hammond.
'Tn fact Hammonds enlistment is
IS high that tie quota to he supplied
by the draft ID very low.
IT have just told you about the pa
rade OF Americanism. But ever since
the war was declared there have been
daily parades OF recruits 70 the de-
pots. The Masonic drum and bugle
corps invariably leads them. whether
there be ten men or seventy in the
procession. And the recruits recruit
themselves-they are not the fruit OF
impassioned campaigns.
so much for today as regards this
foreign community Tomorrow. per-
hapa. a little more of some Of the
types who make up the community.
There remains fragment. possibly
significant. which I record from a
sense OF duty and wholly without
pleasure. 1t regards the attitude OF
the Americans. The exemption board
members viii tell you that IL Is in
variably the American who asks OK
emption, and often on the dimsiest