The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1917-08-08
Andrew Stewart
Explains Our Duty
County Chairman of Safety
Commission Asks Loyalty
of All Citizens
MAKES EARNEST REQUEST
Asks That Petitions Shall Not
Be Sent to Washington from
Redwood County

The following article is the
personal message from A. D.
Stewart, Redwood County Chair
man of the Safety Commission,
to every citizen in the county.
ut shall be unlawful for
any person to teach or advo-
cate by any written or printed
? matter whatsoever, or by oral
speech, that the citizens of
this state should not aid or as
sist the United States in pros
ecutingj or carrying on war
with the public enemies of the
United States" (Sec. 3, Chap
ter 463 of Session Laws of
Minnesota. 1919
Loyal Defined: (Webster).
Faithful in allegiance to ones
sovereign or country: true to
plighted faith or duty"
Through the press ] want to
talk to the good people of our
county, and especially our Ger
man friends, with all the earn
estness | can command. In the
light of what Webster has to
say about being loyal and the
above section of the law of our
state, drafted for war purposes,
/ wish every person to deter
mine for himself what his atti-
tude should be toward the anti
draft movement which the New
Ulm meeting and the Wabasso
meeting, indefinitely postponed,
were called to promote.
At this time of national and
world crisis "disloyalty" and
|Pro-German" are harsh terms
to apply to any citizen or body
of our citizens anywhere in the
United States. Let no man
charge his neignbor or fellow
citizen as being disloyal. Every
man thinks in his heart so is
man can best classify himself.
The Good Book is right, "as a
he" Disloyalty as citizen is
the condition of mind and heart
toward the state, country or
sovereign that he processes to
love or serve and is best exhib-
tied at the time of greatest need.
When our Country is at peace
with the world, enjoying pros
perity, it's easy to think we are
loyal, but when war comes and
our country needs real men,
then, of ourselves we will con-
gregate with the sheep or the
goats. ''By their fruits shall we
know them" The pro-German
spirit will manifest itself and
men of this class will reveal
their true attitude toward their
country in it's. hour of distress
by boycotting loyal business
men, stopping their local papers
and other unmistakable signs
which are being exhibited in
other counties of the state.
1t was not an easy thing for
the promoters of the Wabasso
meeting to accept the order of
the Commission of Public Safe
ty that the meeting should not
be held. With no small incon-
venience to themselves they CO.
operated with us, and | appre-
ciate. more than words can tell
the generous spirit which en-
abled them to harmonic their
action with loyal sentiment of
our people relative to the prop
uganda which the proposed meet
ing was to represent.
With a full realization what
it will mean to our friends, /
have asked them to do a harder
thing, by personal letter adj
dressed to Mr.. Edward Schmies-
ing, Walnut Grove, Mimi, re-
uuesting that they sever en-
dorsement with the anti-draft
petition and not forward it to
Washington. Not as an order,
but as a request of the Commits
sion of Public Safety, | wish you
men would do this and will try
to give you reasons why:
In fairness and justice to the
majority of the Germans of this
County who are intensely loyal
you should repudiate the pur-
pose of this petition.
Our County is sending to the
front one of the largest and best
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