The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-08-03
True AmeriCaniSm
Born in Germany, but Robert 0
Schaber Knows the Difference Be.
tween Liberty and AutOCfaCy.

Hudson HudsOnite and one OF the
best known and esteemed newspaper
snen Of the state, delivered an address
at an old settlers reunion held at
Canton, which has added much to
his popularity, and is attracting
considera BILE attention because of the
pure and ringing patriotism and
love Of democracy expressed. He is
reported to have said in part:
II have prided myself on my Ame-
ricanism, because | love this land OF
my adoption, and vet | was asked
less than two years ago by friend
of mine. before this trouble with Ger
many, the country Of my birth, came
up, what | would do if we got into
war with Germany? The man who
asked me this question. told friend
of mine and he told me that he thought
for minute that Schaper was going
TO hil him. and | tell you he thought
right, for when a man talks to me III
that way he questions my loyalty.
ne assails my honor. and he touches
me on my TOUGHEST spot. ] told him.
This is my country. and to her
alone DO | owe allegiance, and when
ever the time comes that | can prove
my loyalty, and this allegiance, !
will he glad to prove it. 10 any way
possible. All that | have, all that
| am. ! owe to the protection OF that
lag. Do YOU suppose that am go
ing to bite the hand that fed mt?
This is not time for q divided allegi-
ance. You are either with Uncle
Sam or YOU are against nm. he
good book says that you cannot
serve God and Mammon, which we
interpret as God and the devil. and
YOU cannot be loyal TO these United
States. and to that dear old flag OF
ours ana he ~triend Of the kaiser.
You are one thing or the other, you
cannot be both. | was born In Ger
manv. and ! am not ashamed OF my
parentage or the land OF my birth.
NV people we're honest. hard working
u-fearing people. who were good
citizens in the old country, and who
were ever good citizens here. We
left the old country because we could
rot live there. We could not live
.luder Prussian militarsm under the
-overbearing, domineering goven-
ment which knew nothing only war,
and preparations for war. We were
no kaiser worshippers. The Schabers
were always the exact opposite OF
that. for as early as 1925 one of my
forefathers lost his life because he
was foolish enough to think he could
do his own thinking and he thought,
with a bunch Of other men like him
self, that the German people were
smart enough to govern themselves
without a king or a kaiser. Well, be
lost his head by the headman's sword
In ls4S, my grandfather my fathers
father, was implicated in the little
revolution Ia southern Germany. He
thought that the southern German
states should form confederacy of
states, and be a republic like Ameri-
ca. The folks down in that part Of
the country hated the Prussians, and
the kaisers. and they wanted nothing
to do with them. but their plot was
also discoyered-there were spies
throughout the land even then as
now. and my grandfather also lost
his life. After that the Scha bers got
out OF that country as fast as they
could. My uncle John went to Hol-
land, hid on sailing vessel there.
and it took him 81 days to cross the
water, and they were nearly starved
to death before they reached America.
My father came as soon as he could
and he had been in this country just
exactly one day when he took out his
first citizenship papers, and he took
out his last papers just as soon as
the law would allow him to take them
out. He taught us children to love
that old flag. He loved the traditions
OF his fatherland-he loved the Ger
man poets, he admired German effici-
ency and tried to teach us some of it,
but he loved that old flag best Of all,
and this love he instilled into my
childish breast the first few months
that | was in this country, when Gen.
U. s. Grant in reviewing the troops
10 the city OF Dubuque, Iowa, gave
him q chance to point out the great
American flag. and to tell me, lad
OF seven. what 1t meant and what it
stood for. That old flag means every
thing to me for it has protected me,
II has given me chance, il has as
sured me home.
should have kept out of this war
does not concern us. But | tell you
most emphatically that this is not so.
Liberty is threatened. democracy is
threatened, the onward rush of the
autOcratic dictator OF Europe must
that must stop it. Europe is at the
end OF its resources, America must
help. Do you know what the big
'dailies in Germany are doing at the
present time? And that they have
been figuring out the enormous in.
'demnity this country must pay to
Germany when the Germans have
whipped the allies. This is not
newspaper talk, it is an asserted fact.
II was in Germany "a years ago,
and when l spoke Of their big mill
tary preparations. innocently asked
what II was all about. was over
there on . VISIT was 81, and l
wanted to see and learn things. /
wanted to see how her people made q
living. was told that Germany
was going to whip England and
France. England must be punished
and France must be again subdued.
Ia speaking Of America. in casual
conversation one day, was laughed
-, they told me to my face that we
had no armv I waa anoarinnlv "a