The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-16
The Bolsheviki of America


Americans are gathered together,
their thoughts will turn to a purpose
which is one and the same wherever,
throughout the world the language
of free men is spoken.
1t is the purpose of common de-
termination to fight and TO bear and
to dare everything, and never to
cease nor rest until the accursed
spirit which has brought upon the
world the unutterable calamity. the
DEVILS visitation, of this appalling
war, is destroyed beyond the possi-
bility of resurrection.
Some there are, small minority
always, and getting smaller every
day. among Americans of German
birth or descent, who lack the vision
to see their duty or the strength to
follow it. and who stand irresolute,
heSitant and dazed.
The vast and overwhelming ma
jority have acted like true men and
loyal Americans. They are entitled
to claim your sympathetic under
standing for the heartache which is
theirs, and they are entitled to claim
your trust. 1t will not be misplaced.
l am taking very little account of
that insignificant number of men of
German origin, who, misguided or
corrupt dare by insidious and un-
derground processes to attempt to
weaken or oppose the resolute will
of the nation There are too few of
them to count and their manoeuvres
are too clumsy to be effective. But
let them be warned.
There is sweeping through the
country a mighty wave of stern and
grim determination, which BODIES i'll
for any one standing in its way.
One element there is in our popu-
lation which does deliberately chal-
lenge our national unity
| mean the Bolsheviki in our
midst, the preachers of liberty run
amuck, who would place a visionary
class interest above patriotism and
who in ignorant fanaticism would
substitute for the tyranny of autoc-
racy the still more intolerable tyran-
ny of mob-rule, as for the time being
they have done in Russia.
If it were not for the disablement
of Russia, the battle against autoc-
racy would have been won by now.
AS so often before, liberty has been
wounded in the house of its friends.
Liberty in the wild and freakish
hands of fanatics has once more, as
frequently in the past, proved the
effectives helpmate of autocracy and
the twin-brother of tyranny.
Outczaring the czar its votaries are
filling the prisons with their politi-
cal opponents, are suppressing, say
agely and lawlessly, freedom of
speech. of the press and of assembly,
and aref maintaining the self-consti-
tuted rule of minority by the force
of bay cts.
The adliest foe of democracy is
not al racy, but liberty frenzied.
Libert S not fool-proof. For its
ben t working it demands self
~ a.al -esG SEi
tioh of The practical and attainable,
and of 4he fact that there are laws
of naturl le which are beyond our pow
er to CHI yhnge.
Liberty can, does and must limit
the rights of the strong it must in
creasingEly guard and promote the
well-beilhg of those endowed with
lesser gifts for the struggle for exis-
tence aIbd success, it must strive in
every wtay consistent with sane rec
ognitionl of the realities to make life
more wdrth living to those whose ex-
istence is cast in the mould Of the
vast average of mankind, it must
give political equality, equality be-
fore th4 law, it must throw wide
open toI talent and worth the door
of opportunity.
Under the system of wisely order
ed liberty, combined with incentive
to individual effort whereof the
foundation was laid by the far-sight-
ed and enlightened men who created
this nation and endowed it with the
most sangacious instrument of gov
ernment that the wit of man has de-
vised, America has grown and pros
pered beyond all other nations.
1t has stood as a republic for near
ly century and half, which is faI
longer than any other genuine re-
public has endured amongst the
great nations of the world since the
! beginning of the Christian era. Its
past has been glorious. the vista OF
| its future is one of boundless oppor.
| tunity, of splendid fruitfulness fol
! it's own people and the world, if il
remains but true to its principles and
traditions, adjusting their express
| sion aid application to the changing
needs 1f the times in a spirit of pro
gress sympathetic understanding an(
enlightened justice, but rejecting the
teachings and temptations of false
though plausible prophets.
1t fills me with burning indigna
ton to see the very foundations O1
that majestic and beneficent struc
ture GENEROUSLY assailed by some o.
those 10 whom the great republic
generously gave asylum and tt
whom she opened wide the portals o
her freedom and her opportunities.
! These people. with many hundred!
) of thousands of their countrymen
! came 10 our free shores after cen
I turies Of oppression and persecution
America gave them everything sht
| had TO giye-the great gift of the
rights and liberty of citizenship, free
! education in our schools and univer
! stiles, free treatment in our clinic:
| and hospitals, our boundleSS oppOr
| tunities for social and material ad
! VaJncement.
Most of them have proved them
selves useful and valuable element:
! in our many-rooted population. Some
of them have accomplished eminent
| achievements in science. industry an(
| the arts Certain of the qualitie:
and talents which they contribute tt
| the common stock are of great worth
| and promise.
But some of them there are, spirit
/ ually and actually kith and kin Of
i the Bolsheviki, who have showI
themselves unworthy of the trust o1
their fellow-citizens; ingrates, dis
turbers, ignorant of or disloyal tt
! the spirit of America, abusers of hel
j hospitality.
Some there are who have beer
blinded by the glare of liberty as {
man is blinded who, after long con
/ finement in darkness, comes sudden
ly into the strong sunlight. Blinded
! they dare to aspire to force theil
guidance upon Americans who fol
generations have walked in the light
of liberty.
They have become drunk with the
strong wine of freedom, these mer
who until they landed on Americas
coasts had tasted nothing but the bi1