The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-06-18
Stirring Flay Day Address
Delivered By Albert X. Allen

become a subject of the sovereign,
who would refuse to have his child
rem educated in the proper language
by teachers therein. but would insist
upon importing their teachers from
America, and upon having them in
structed in our language by teachers
of the English mother tongue? We
would say that he was good Amer
lean, but notwithstanding his oaths
and pretenses, that he was not a
good German, or good Swede.
Our experience with foreign
language citizens during the war
warns US not to permit young Amer
leans to be educated as foreigners.
The inclination, or conscience of the
parent has nothing to do with it. The
parent who does not want his child
rem educated as Americans should
not have brought them to America;
nor should he keep them here.
language ministers of the gospel.
pretended citizens of the United
States, were guilty of disloyalty and
sedition. l have known no other
minister to be seditious or disloyal,
but sedition and disloyalty among
foreign language ministers were not
uncommon. Except members OF the
socialist party, few Americans ex-
cept those who use some foreign Ian
guage, have been accused or con-
victed of disloyalty or sedition.
"The menace of foreignism is a
menace to our flag. To ignore it, is
to dishonor the flag ourselves. If we
regard our banner as highly as we
here testify, we cannot finch or
fail to act in the presence of this
menace of foreign languageism.
Thousands of foreign language
devotees have, through national folly,
already been permitted to become
citizens and voters. Some of them
plan to support for office no one who
opposes their foreign language
schemes. They are Americans in
form and pretense only, real Amer
leans should be opposed to them a
solid front of warning in prohibiting
their baleful foreign language pro-
paganda. -
The Lutheran ministers of the
Missouri Synod, as they call them
selves, recently in convention at
Lakefield, formed what they call "A
Constitutional Rights League put
ting forth the preposterous claim
that since our written constitutions
prohibit laws establishing religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof, they have the right to
worship in our country for all time,
in a foreign language, and the right
to- educate their children to do the
same.
mo one desires to control their
religion or the free exercise there
Of But crime cannot be safely
committed under the cloak of re-
ligion as the Norman polygamists
have also learned. The government
will not permit itself to be under
mined in the name of religion. Any
religion which turns it's votaries
against the language OF America,
must be wrong.
Americans have been, and are, a
religious people. We are Christ
ian Nation; and 1t must be conced-
ed that the Christianity can be as
we'll taught and learned in the Eng
claim has been made to the contrary.
That o-call cKultur' which justified
the Beast of Berlin can never be &c
cepted by our people. Nations have
commonly seen fit and found it nee
essary to require its people to use
and be educated in It's national
language. There is nothing in the
constitutions or laws of our state
and nation requiring us to permit the
establishment or perpetuation Of
foreign languageism in our midst,
and common sense and the national
welfare forbid it. The study of all
our high schools and colleges, is
diserable; and foreign language
worship for foreigners in our midst
and new citizens Is also desirable.
But the foreign language education
below the high school where any
foreign language is used as the Ian
guage of instruction of small chill
dren; and foreiga language wor-
ship perpetuated among American
citizens from generation to genera
ton, will honeycomb our nation with
weakness, and in the end result in
the triumph Of the German language
and German 'Kultur' and must be
forbidden by laws and by militant,
patriotic. public opinion.
''Ths Constitutional Rights league
OF Lutheran ministers boldly pro-
claims its purpose to defeat all po
litical candidates who will not assist
in the Reorganization of America
Americans, will you accept the chal-
lenge?
Should Highly Resolve. ..
LET us heed the voice OF our in
spring banner, and on every Flag
Lap dlu Ou every udy, ulSuly re-
solve: That we will not permit
flag worship to supplant unselfish
service or to degenerate into flag
waving abandonment of our nation;
but like those who founded Ameri-
ca and saved us, and the world from
despotism by their self sacrifice, let
us know and face the truth, and let
us fight this necessary battle. Let
us in peace avoid no duty. but do the
work of greatest sacrifice on that
greater battle field Of peace. AS
Elks. as citizens, and as Patroits,
in order that Our liberties may en-
dure with the earth and the sun, let
us oppose every kind of foreignism.
Let us not be PQlly-glo boarding
house. Let us have one nation and
one nation only; one flag and one
flag only: and, is as the only means of
obtaining and preserving these es-
sentials Of nationality, let us insist
that every American citizen have
an American education, and that we
have one language and one language
only. And let us see to it as the first
duty of Americn citizens, that we
vote for no candidate for any Of
fee, high or low, in state or nation,
who is pledged to, or is tolerant of,