The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-12

United States.
women as traitors to the republic;
we regard them as traitors to the
great cause of Justice and humanity.
This war Is a war, Tor the vital inter-
eEts Of America. When we fight for
America abroad we save our chill
dren from fighting for America at
home beside their own ruined
hearthstones. We believe that the
large majority OF Americans are
proudly ready to fight TO the last for
the overthrow of the brutal German
militarism which threatens America
no less than every other civilized
nation. We believe that Ii would be
an act of baseness and infamy, an
act Of unworthy cowardice and a
betrayal OF this country and of man
Kind to accept any peace except the
peace of overwhelming victory, a
peace based on the complete over
throw of the Prussianized Germany
OF the Hohenzollerns.
We hold that the true test of loyal
Americanism today is effective serv-
ice against Germany. We should
exert as speedily as possible every
particle Of our vast lazy strength to
Therefore we should demand that
the government act at once with un-
relenting severity against the traitors
here at home, whether their treason
able activity take the form of editing
and publishing newspapers, of utter
ing speeches, or OF intrigue and con-
spiracy.
One Flag and One Language.
We must have but one flag. We
must also have but one language.
That must be the language of the
Declaration of independence, of
Washington's Farewell Address, Of
Lincoln's Gettysburg Speech and
Second Inaugural. We cannot toler-
ate any attempt to oppose or sup
plant the language and culture that
has come down to US from the build
ers Of this Republic with the
language and culture of any Euro
pean country. The greatness Of this
nation depends on the swift assimiIa-
ton of the aliens she welcomes to
her shores. Any force which at
tempts to retaTd that assimilative
process is a force hostile to the
highest interests Of our country. It
is a force, which, if allowed to
develop, WILL for the benefit of this
group or that, undermine our ma
tional institutions and pervert our
national ideals. Whatever may have
been our judgment in normal times
we are convinced that today our
most dangerous foe is the foreign
language press and every similar
agency such as the German Ameri- |
can Alliance, which holds the alien |
to his former associations and |
through them to his former allegi- |
ance. We call upon all loyal and |
Americans to man the |
trenches against this enemy within |
our gates.
Organization Needed.
We believe that they can most |
do this through some |
The Vigilantes, a nom |
partisan, militant, anti-pacifist group |
Of writer's, artists and other patriotic |
Children of the Crucible, who, from |
their headquarters in New York, |
have for months been conducting a |
vigorous pro-America campaign in |
the newspapers of the country, offer |
exactly such an organization. We
ask that good Americans address /
themselves at once to The Vigilantes.
We ask, moreover that, whether |
through this organization, of inde- |
pendently, they uphold the hands Of /
the government at every point EN- |
GENTLY and resolutely against our /
foreign and domestic foes, and that |
they constantly spur the government |
to speedier ard more effective action. !
Furthermore, we ask that where gov
ernmental action cannot be taken, /
they arouse an effective and indig- /
nant public opinion against the |
enemies Of our country, whether /
these enemies masquerade as paci- |
nEfe nNesfR @V-
enemies of our Allies, or act through /
such as the /. w. w.
and the Socialist party machine, or /
appear markedly as the champions OF /
Germany. Above all, We. ask that /
they teach our people to spurn any 1
peace save the peace of overwhelm-
ing victory, in the war to which we /
have set our hands.
OF us who sign some are Protest
ants, some are Catholics, some are /
Jews. Most Of us were Born in this |
country of parents born in various /
countries of the old world-in Ger |
many, France, England, Ireland, |
Italy, the Slavonic and the Scandi-
navian lands; some of us were born /
abroad; some of us are of Revolu- |
tionary stock. All of US are Ameri- |
cans, and nothing but Americans.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Some OF the signers are: Oscar S.
Straus, Former Secretary of Com
nerce and Labor; John Quinn, a
prominent New York lawyer: Henry /
L. Slobodin, Until recently Chairman /
Of the New York branch of the
Socialist Party; George Won
Lengercke Meyer, ex-Secretary Of
he Navy; Michael /. Pupin, Einar
3arfod, William Loeb, Jr., Anthony
F1ala, Guy T. Viskniskki, Harvey ].
0'Higgins, Gutzon Borglum, Karl III.
Behr, Prof. Leo Wiener, John J.
Leary, Jr,, Hon. Julius Kahn, Mem
Der Of Congress from California;
Harry Olson, DR.. Isaac Adler,
Nathaniel A. Elsberg, ex-State
Senator OF New York; Prof. Lionel
). Marks, A. Token Worm, Jesse
.sidor Straus, Prof. Cornelius RUB
ler, Antonio Stella, T. WELLINGTON
Roger M. Straus, James
VI. Beck, Edwin Carly Ranck,
Frederick Hellman, Porter Emerson
A. w. Erickson, Hermann
Charles j. Rosebault.