Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-27

those claiming the privilege OF Ameri-
can citizenship when after infinite for.
bearance the President decided thai
our honor and safety demanded thai
we take up arms against the lmperia,
German Government. and by action OF
congress the cause and the fight against
that government were declared our
cause and our fight
| The duty Of loyal allegiance and
faithful service to his country, even
unto death, rests. OF course. upon every
American. But. II 1t be possible &c
speak OF a comparative degree concern
ing what Is the highest as II Is the
most elementary attribute OF citizen
ship, that duty may almost be said to
rest with an even moro solemn and
compelling obligation upon Americans
Of foreign origin than upon native
Americans.
For we Americans Of foreign ante
cedents are here not by the accidental
right Of birth. but by our own free
choice for better or for. worse.
We are your fellow citizens because
you accepted our oath Of allegiance as
given In good faith. and because You
have opened to us in generous trust
the portals Of American opportunity
and freedom, and have admitted us to
membership In the family Of Amer-
cans, giving us equal rights in the great
inheritance which has been created by
the blood and the toll Of your ances-
tors, asking nothing from us in return
but decent citizenship and adherence
to those ideals and principles which
are symhol!zed by the glorious flag OF
America.
Woe to the foreign born American
who betrays the splendid trust which
you have reposed in him!
Woe to him who considers his Ameri-
can citizenship merely as a convenient
garment to be worn in fair weather
but TO be exchanged for another one
in time of storm and stress!
Woe to the German American. So
called who. in this sacred war for
cause as high as any for which ever
people took up arms does not feel
solemn urge does not show an eager
determination to be in the very fore
from, OF the struggle: does not prove
a patriotic jealousy. in thought IN &C.
tion and in speech to rival and to out
do his native born fellow citizen IN
devotion and ii willing sacrifice fer the
country Of his choice and adoption and
sworn allegiance. and OF their common
affection and pride.
AS Washington led Americans OF
British blood to fight against Great
Britain, as Lincoln called upon Amer
leans of the North TO fight their very
brothers Of the South, so Americans
Of German descent are now summoned
10 join in our country's righteous strug-
gle against a people of their own
blood. which, under the evil spell OF
dreadful obsession, and. Heaven knows
through no fsIlt of ours, has made
itself the enemy OF this peace-loving
nation. as 1t is the enemy Of peace and
right and freedom throughout the
world.
To gain Americas independence, to
defeat oppression and tyranny, was in
deed to gain great cause.
To preserve the union. to eradicate
slavery. was perhaps a greater still.
To defend the very foundations Of
liberty and humanity. the very ground
work Of fair dealing between nations.
the very basis Of peaceable living to-
gether among the peoples of the earth
against the fierce and brutal onslaught
Of ruthless. 1awless, faithless might:
to spend the lives and the fortunes
OF this generation SO that our de-
scendants may be freed from the dread
full calamity Of war and the fear Of
war. so that the energies and billions
OF treasure now devoted to plans and
instruments OF destruction may be CIV
en- henceforth to fruitful works Of
peace and progress and to the better
ment Of the conditions Of the people
that Ia the highest cause for which any
people ever unsheathed its sword
He who shirks the full measure Of
his duty and allegiance in that noblest
Of causes be he German American,
Irish American, or any other hyphen-
ated American. be he /. w. w. or So
cialist or whatever the appellation.
does not deserve to stand amongst
Americans or. indeed. amongst FREQ
men anywhere
He who, secretly or overly. tries to
thwart the declared will and aim OF the
nation in this holy war Is a traitor, and
a traitors fate should be his.