The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-08-02
ANSWER TO The
'''' FOREIGN BORN
Effective Address Prepared BY
Hon. Franklin X. Lane for
-Four Minute Men,"

The address given below was pre-
pared by the Secretary of the Int
rior, Hon. Franklin X. Lane, for the
use of the "Four Minute Men," speak
ing on independence Day before mo-
ton picture audiences, in which there
were many persons of foreign eXtrac-
ton. The address is entitled "The
Answer of the Foreign-Born," and
carries an especially strong appeal:
"We came to America to help in
the making of this new land-for our
own good and for the good of our
children.
"The gate was open; we gave moth
ing to enter. The paths that other
feet had beaten we followed. The
lands others had found and fought for
were given US if we would make them
into homes.
"In the old land, the motherland,
we worked for a living; here we
worked that we might really live.
Hope filled u hearts.
"In the old land, the %motherland,
our boys could be no more than we
had been. Their way vas barred by
the man above, the man born to land
and position and preference. Always
there was the man above, to whom he
must doff his hat in token of defer
ence and subsection. Strive as he
might, sacrifice as he would, there
was always that mar above-the man
on the hill-whose place he could not
reach.
"For that mans sons there were
schools and professions and places of
honor. For our sons there was work,
work without hope, the work of stall
wart, steady oxen, work for a living,
not for the full life of the boys yearn-
ing and his capacity.
"The girl of his heart he could not
marry, for she lived on the hill, and
the hill to him was a world apart,
never to be scaled by his aspiring i'm
pulse. The way of public service was
closed to him, ave as the ~servitor of
the mar above. A soldier he could
be; aye, he must be, under a captain
who knew him only as a shield or a
spear, under a king he had no part in
choosing, under a flag that gave him
bounty, not opportunity.
"And we, the foreign born, are here
now to do our part, our full part, in
the making of America. All the thou
sands Of years of upward struggle,
the climb from serfdom up, has led
to the land of equal chance.
eve fled from the man above.
"Here we have no master but our
selves. Our hats come off to genius,
not to rank. The great house on the
hill is the home of one who once was
a section hand. His money gave
wages till we had money to pay
wages.
"There was hope in our hearts and
that hope has blossomed into bright.
eyed boys and girls, into homes where
pianos play, into schools and colleges
and law courts and legislatures, where
u boys work beside all other boys
and win ahead, into honors which
come with talent, into leadership that
comes with character, into fellowship
that knows no circle besides a com
mon taste, into a pride, a compelling
pride, a squirting, life-giving pride
that we are of, that we are for-this
land of equal chance.
eff justice fails in this land, ours
is the fault. If the torch of liberty
fades II fails, our be the blame. Ii
our flag falls. all the eager and strug-
Cling mes in other lands will lose
heart; all those who painted it's starry
field in hopeful blue and drew its
stripes in courageous red will re-
proach us forevermore.
"We know that this freedom is at
once u glory and our danger. Fol
now there is no man above; we have
no will to guide but out own. We have
come to the time of test.
"We will not falter! we will not
weaken. The Old World shall not see
us break and run when challenged.
"What has been gained and giver
to us we hold for ourselves and oul
sons"