Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-29
ADDRESS OF COLONEL ROOSEVELT
REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION

public servant who does wrong is as
| ,Icfcundly unpatriotic as to oppose a
public servant who does right. To
| take any other position is to show a
| scryilc mind. Whoever takes any
| other position shows that he is not
| fit to be a free man in a free Iani
The public servant who docs not APP
prove such II position is not seekin-:
~ &c tte servant of the people, BIZ,
the master Of the people.
Why We Arc In The War
We arc in this war because Of spe-
| cial and intolcrable grievance against
+, Germany. because in addition 10
many other misdeeds she had for two
years followed a course of deliberate
murder OF our unarmed and unoffend-
ing citizens, men. women and chill
dren: because her continuous and
contcmptuous maltreatment of our
country rendered it imperative for US
to go TO war in order to ensure our
future safety against such lnaltrea: =
ment by any foreign nation. Our frs
der TO save ourselves and our belong
ings, in order to save our women and
our children and our homes We fight
for the future of our own dear land,
but we are also in the war because
in common with all civilized mankind
we have been outraged by Germany's
callous and cynical brutalitics against
well-behaved weaker nations. This is
war on behalf of treaties as against
scraps Of paper; for the. freedom of
the sea against world enslavement
for Germany has been the real foe Of
freedom Of the seas); it is war or
behalf of small well-behaved nations
against the domineering and infinitely
cruel arrogance of the brutal and
scientific German militarism; war
for helpless women and children
against murderers; n war for civiliza-
ton against barbarism. honor against
infamy, right against wrong: a year
against the powers of darkness, Of
death and Of hell. AS for our own
special grievance it is far more seri-
Gus than any grievance for which ever
before we had to fight foreign foe.
Germany has Wronged us far more
seriously than Great Britain wronged
us during the years that led up 10
our Declaration Of Independence. NO
man can advocate submission to Ger
many now without proving false 80
the spirit of the men of 1916 Ger
many has waged war with utter faith
lessness and with inhuman cruelty.
The black infamy of her conduct
towards Belgium has no parallel IN
civilized history, since the close of the
dreadful wars Of religion in the sew
cnteenth century. Austria, Bulgaria
and Turkey have been her vassal
states. Turkey has behaved iowa I'd
the Armenian and Syrian Christians
and toward the Jews in her dominion5
and toward the Arabs with an even
more revolving cruelty than German
herself has shown. Unless we war on
Turkey precisely as we war on Ger
many, we show that we are insincere
when we say that we wish to make
the world safe for democracy. Nor can
We keep our promise to make the
world safe for democracy unless the
subject races in Austria are given n
real and not a nominal freedom. We
are bound as nation now to remem-
Der that fine phrases, that bold and
lofty declarations of purpose, are Of
worth only as they are turned into
brave deeds by men who are both
strong and true. Rhetoric which is
not made good, rhetoric which has in
it any element of hypocrisy and in
sincerity is an evil and not desira-
aI T RI Il
mind St Pauls warning when he badn
the Romans beware of those who "ty
good words and fair speeches deceive
the hearts Of the simple" We of this
nation must now prove our truth by
our endeavor We cannot with honor
accept any inconclusive peace. Our
aim is to beat Germany and the allies
Of Germany, and we cannot abandon
a single one Of our allies, is long rs
that ally is true 80 the common cause.
No $3.50 Allegiance
The events of the past three and a
half years have brought home to us
in startling fashion the truth that IN
This country the man who is not who'll
~ American and nothing but Ameri-
can is traitor to America. There
can bC no such thing as a fifty-fifty
allegiance. There are no better Am
orleans in this land than the Ameri-
cans of German blood. who are Amer
leans and nothing else. 1t is a shame
and disgrace not to treat these men
precisely as all other Americans arr
treated. They are fit to serve in our
armies in any position from the major
gene raj down; they are fit to hold any
position III civil life from president
down. But the men Of German blood
who have tried to be both Germans
and Americans are not Americans 1T
all. nut traitors 10 America and tools
and servants of Germany agains.
America. Organizations like the Ger
m"n- American alliance have served
Germany against America. Herea ftcr
We must see that the melting pot real
| " does melt. There should be but Or.
language in this country, the Englisi,
/ language. We require of al in.ni-
grants who come hither to ,3ccon.r
citizens that they shall spcrif,ccilv
foreswcar allegiance to the land from
which they came. as we'll as swear IL
lcGiance to this land. Hereafter We
must see to it that thiS oath il OBJ
served in spirit as We'll as III letter:
and that the men lotn here. Of whit
ever blood. and whether their anCns.
tors have lived in this ,nnd for ger q.
! erations or came hero from some for.
eiEn land arr, brOupit I'M &c Ar,>,.