The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1917-09-12

by saying that we should not have
gone into this war because you came
from Germany, and you have not yet
become an American.
Now, we will acknowledge that
Germany has one of the most efficient
governments on earth and we love the
German people, as a people. But what
we Americans object to, is to have
any of those German people living in
this country, think more of the insti-
tutions from which they fled than
those which they enjoy. Have you
ever stopped to think that the gates
of this country have all been turned
inwards ever since this form of gov
eminent was organized-thatt the i'm
migrants came from outside, and that
our gates were always open towards
the inside and that the flood of hui
mainly came from down-trodden coun-
tries of Europe? Has it ever occurred
to you that we did not make any laws
preventing the people from leaving
our shores? Did it over occur to you
that there was no guard of people
trying to keep you here? Not much.
There isn't a law required on our
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cause they have in this land better
land than the one from which they
came. Who came to America for OPP
portunity? The Germans not only, but
the Irish came here, the Scots came
here, the Welsh, the Swiss and the
Norwegians came, the Austrians came
and the Bohemians came here. Peo-
pie of all nationalities, of all religious
beliefs came here. Why? To get
away from oppression and to find a
country where opportunity existed
and they found it. Are we going to
be so narrow that we will overlook
the faults of the country from which
we came? l should hope that when
our boys in khaki and the boys soon
to be in khaki, will be marching by
the millions to the eastern coast to
take ship for Europe, that there will
be enough strings pulled around the
hearts of the homes of this country
to wake them up to the idea that
this, the land for opportunity for
which our fathers bled, and for which
the boys in blue bled, is worth fight
ing. for, and we will see it through.
Some say they don't like to fight
this war because we are helping Eng
land. Well now, if anybody would
have particular grudge against Eng
land it would be the Irish. Ireland
has been held down for over six hun
dred years, but want to tell you
that although / have never seen the
Emerald Isle, across the Atlantic
Ocean, that there is for some reason
g i hi = ~,
that calls for love for the little green
Isle. ! And I naturally have little
bit of a determination to punch John
ny Bull whenever / see him. But when
we use our intelligence, when we stop
to consider history, when we realize
what England stands for, then the
Irishman of Irish parentage, of Irish
descent all over this broad land OF
ours are glad to put away the green
flag, and fight for the Stars and
Stripes with Johnny Bull. And we
have not forgotten the history of our
country so much but what we would
remember that when the Monroe doc
trine was declared by President Mon
roe of this country, that if it hadn't
been for Canning, the foreign min
lister to England, it never would have
been promulgated And Thomas JEFF
ferson said at that time that only by
the assistance of England could we
make it a success and he hoped the
time would come to prove our loyalty
to the fact that blood was thicker
than water by fighting side by side
with England. Now the time has
come and we are going to show it by