Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-10-16

be registered as a voter he must be
able 10 read IN the English language.
SO that is a preregu isits.
This gives you certain rights
this admitting 10 cittzenship-bur II
also imposes upon you certain duties.
We hear too much n these days Of
peoples rights and we hear LIDO lit
lts IN these days of peoples duties.
Everybody is clamoring for his
rights and demanding them, never
thinking Of what his duty Is to So
ciery nor what he owes ID the-cprn-
munity. TO the State. and 70 the Ma
ton. You renounce today your al
leglanoe TO the old country, and you
ask ID be admitted as 4 citizen Of
this country and you pledge your
loyalty 10 il That means that You
must be Americans through and
through You cannot be German
Americans; you cannot be Irish-Am
orleans; you cannot be French-Am-
orleans. No hyphen can be placed
there. You must be Americans from
now On. The five wears we have
Just passed through have taught
America a lesson as to the kind Of
citizens she must admit and We
want them one hundred per cent
Americans. You have placed your
self under q new flag. No longer are
you under the tri-color of France, or
the Cross Of St. George You are
under the Stars and Stripes and on
the one hand that flag viii follow
you and protect you wherever
throughout the world you may go.
As an American citizen you GIN
claim its protection and receive II.
On the other hand. you must follow
that flag and protect il wherever that
flag may go and wherever you may
go.
Il have said netting as to your
rights. Let me say u word now as
10 your duties. First. your duty as
voters. Where you have had your
allegiance befure-in most countries
al least-the people have not ruled.
In this country the people rule We
govern ourselves. Therefore, it Is
important as long as the people are
The rulers as well as the ruled. that
they should be Intelligent rulers. L
IS important. II you wish TO vote
10 exercise your right of franchise
that YOU seek 70 educate yourselves
SO as to become familiar with the
spirit Of The government of this
country; learn something of It's his
tory; learn something of what the
/ fathers and the granctathers have
gore through TO create thir govern
nenr and 10 preserve Il. If there
are night schools. and you are IN
educated, YOU should 20 70 those
night schools as they are provided
in many Of the cities of this State
;r4 perfect yourself in the English
language. Perfect yourself IN the MS
tory Of our government. Read the
newspa Ders. Read the American
( newspa pers. Throw away YOUR own
1 newspa pers. I think there Is moth
ing that does more harm and that
-ecps people rom being real Amer
lean citizens more than the fact that
they cling 70 the newspapers printed
II their own language. The Italian
newspapers--the Finnish. the LILhu-
anian-abHnGOn Those. Learn to rear
the American newspapers printed IN
the English language, SO that you
can ret n touch with what IS going
on in this world. Otherwise you
cannot be Intelligent voters. Become
interested IN everything that per
taIns to TINS country Improve your
selves 50 that you may enter into
and become a part Of il. Do not
herd off and segregate yourselves,
transf ar-ing a little piece Of Italy to
a street somewhere. or d little piece
Of France TO another street some
where. That is The trouble in many
places. They preserve the old GUS
toms. They read the old newspa-
pers. They talk their own Ian
| guage, and they do not become Am
erican citizens az all. Just let that
go blythe old-and take UP the new.
and try 10 get into the spirit of the
American people Narura lizatiOn.
which we give you here today. chang
es your legal position. your legal
, status: but II does not change you
really unless you yourselves supple
ment that naturalization by making
I yourselves more and more, as the
! months and years 80 by, real Am
1 orleans.
One word more. I have spoken
/ Of your duties as voters. That does