Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-11-28
LET US GIVE THANKS FOR OUR
AMERICANlSM

We-each OF us-haye many COOS
and sufficient reasons for being thanE
fnl this Thanksgiving season And
not the least OF these is that we ar
Americans f
The Americanisnl. planted on th'
virgin soil Of a new land, an unbroken
Va wilderness Of sayages and waste
shaped and guarded by the lifehkood
st 1T men noble and brave is ours b
inheritance and ours by acceptance
Through the hands Of American pa
: triots, in days OF peace and war, il
a. has come TO US. II is indetinaDlc
"a without limit and comes alike to the
II, old and the young, the rich and tn.
"a ! poor, the man and the woman, the nt-
x, tive and the fcreign1born who will &C
", ccpt il.
"a, II is this Americanism which stand 4,
NJ so Solidly against the enemy OF civil
iza.ion, the foe Of humanity, the red
plotter Of anarchy. 1t is this Ameri-
canism in. ON breasts watch makes
OF Americans a people united whea
the time honored principles OF free,
dom and democracy are attacked II
is this same Americanism which 50
stoutly Withstands the onslaughts CT
the foreign agitator and his Cocoon
spirator, the native born, disseminated
ad,Coa,a p ;ynrity rula
Just as this spirit OF Americanisin
made it possible for the people Cf the
United States to throw the weight of
the mightiest nation on earth into the
~ scales OF war wlen right and justice
We're sorely tried, just so will Ameri
canism save the land from the eternal
chaos toward which the extremists or
our Shcres would hurl America il
their mad endeavor to make of our
government what the small handful OF
citizens desire and what the vast M,
jority fear mos earnestly--and with
reason.
When we have the rule Russia nov
has" exclaimed one bolsheyik syln-
pathzer recently. 'you'll hear no more
OF 'Americanism. What is American,
ism anyhow he screamed.
AmericaniSm, we would like to ex,
plain to this individual, is government
by the majority, not By the minority
1t is government by ballot, not by hui
let. Il i government by law, not by
license
And tAis is Why We Americans give
thanks Tor cur Americanism.
He was right when he insisted that
Amercanism would become extinct
with the advent in America of Rus
sianism. Nothing more true was ever
spoken. Amelicanism and Russian
ism could not live in the same lane.
Before Russianism could triumph here
Americanism must die. Some there
are who believe Americanism can be
killed in American hearts. They are
these who believe Russanism can
rear its ugly head in the new world.
We don't believe it, Some ninety mil.
lion other Americans don't believe
o. Americanism will cease TO exist.
Nothing in all the " ord is more alive.
,~s nor stronger, than this Amercanisn
for which We Americans give thanks.
Wars reaction--the period Of social
unrest and economic disturbance
not weakened he spirit that dWells in
the hearts OF Americans, 1.-THE spirit
that took OF a new world and made
1t the greatest richest, most demo.
cratic country on earth. A year OF
peace has made us better Americans
IMAM ever stronger Americans, NOR
democratic Americans, more ardentl,
welded to the American doctrine that
right shall prevail that tAe majority
shall rule, and that common jus,ic,
shall 80 alike to all Americans
Thankful that this is so? Mos Ger.
tainly Truly and honestly thankfl
that We have this heritage of Amer.
cansm and that we may pass it on to
our childrens children.
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