Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-04-17


in Kansas City Sunday afternoon, is
well-known here having preached on
two occasions at the local Lutheran
church and delivered an address at an
ElkS' memorial meeting in Convention
hall
Special to Tho World
KANSAS CITY, Mo, April 10
1--WE are not luke-warm hyphens but
100 per cent Americans
This statement from Rev. Andreas
Bard, noted Lutheran minister of this
city at Convention hall Sunday after
noon brought fourteen hundred
foreign born Americans to their feet
with mighty cheer.
Reverend Bard, eloquent speaker
that ne is fairly electrified the vast
audience. He was born in Germany
himself, and his father is now "a
bishop in Berlin.
1--WE came to these Shores" he said,
mot by prcdestination, but by choice.
Our citizenship is entirely of our own
free-will and accord. We fully COM
prchend the meaning of true Ameri-
canism. II means that we recognize
no king but justice. We bow to no
crown save liberty. We have no
kaiser but our conscience. When we
set foot on the shores of New York
we ceased to be subjects, we became
citizens"
ne Sdlu III Dilt.
"If any one would look down on
the immigrant he would have to de-
spise the pilgrim fathers, who came
here in the Mayflower. He would
have to belittle the pioneers. who in
all times and climes have blazed the
trail OF progress.
Dctcsts War
There is no one here who detests
war more than | do. AS long as |
have been in the ministry | have
shown its absurdity and depicted its
cruelty But lilies sometimes spring
from swamp ground. And one golden
sheaf that has been cleaned from
the world wide battlefield is meet
ing OF this kind. when natives of
many lands are forced to inquire into
the meaning OF American citizenship
and study the folds OF Old Glory as
they never studied them before.
Such is my faith in American pa
triotism that If all Protestants should
be wiped out, as If by magic. the
Catholics of this country would pro-
tect the flag against the enemies
from without or within; that If all
the men of the north were dead, the
men of the south would see to it that
old glory should not be lowered: that
IL all the native Americans would
cease to be, the foreigners who found
u home here would fight Tor their
adopted fatherland, even tho it be
against the country which they left
behind.
IL am not stateman enough to an
alyze the meaning OF the present war
TO me it looks like an objectionable
slaughter. But if our national lead
ers are right in their diagnosis, no
American patriot can refuse to en-
dorse their measures of defense. If
there is any nation which by its will
to conquer opposes the worlds will
to live we are bound by our demo
cratic ideals to oppose such n ma
tion. If there is any people on Tic
face of the earth which places the
nation above the individual such 4
people has un-American ideals. The
world must be made safe for dcmoc-
racy' This statement of President
Wilson is statesmanlike and correct
No red -blooded American, native or
foreign born, will be satisfied until
the principles of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness are extended. not
only to the great powers of Europe
but to the smallest nation on earth
whether il be Greece or Poland oi
Belgium. Nations are not born with
saddles on their back nor others with
spurs to ride them.
Apply the Test.
"The question which at this crisi!
aeitateS the nation is this VIII
Americans of German blood be loya
to their adopted country? Now. /
would he an easy matter to pour fortl
Niagara Of words. But we wan
more than words. Regan and Goneri
protested thehir love for King Lear
while Cordelia was silent; in the rea
crisis none was more faithful thar
Cordelia.
Let us apply the test of Henry Clay
IL. fnAt
the lamp of experience What ha
been the experience of this nation il
regard to Americans of German
birth? Speaking to the Co Operative
club few weeks ago, l stated tina
the first regiment to reach Washing
ton after his call to arms was th
York county regiment, composed o
Germans under Lieut.. Heinrich Miller
stated that the first force to reacl
Lincoln was a regiment from Pennsyl
Vania composed almost entirely o
descendants of the revolutionar.
patriots who first responded to Wash
ington's call. / referred to the victo
of Santiago; Admiral Schley. l salt
that the first shot fired in Manila ba.
was fired by Chief Gunner Leonar'
G.. T.. Kuehlwein "A German Sine
then / have been bombarded with let
ters denying these facts. Instead o
retracting a single statement. / an
going to amplfy and extend my asser
tions OF the illstarred sailors o
the Maine, 27 were Germans. Whel
n plea was sent out for financial as
sistance of the army at Valley Forge
nine Germans responded with a sub
scription of 100000. over 10000
Americans of German origin serve,
in the union army, five thousand o
whom were officers. There was
German in Hobson's little band
CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX