Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-09-12
STRONG REPLY TO
CHIEF MADE
BY ROOSEVELT
Says Un-American Sian
der Can Not Be
Excused

PORTLAND, Maine, September
11.-Charging that The Republicans
were trying to make it appear that
Democrats were not good Americans
and preferred an international flag
to the Stars and Stripes, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Democratic candidate for
vice president, replied here TODAY in
statement closing his Maine CAM
nalgn to assertions of Will H. Havs.
Republican national chairman. lin
his Augusta, Maine, speech last
month.
Referring to the text of Mr.. Havs'
address, which was entitled "Under
/ Which Fla0 Mr. Roosevelt said the
Republican chairman had Offered a
deliberate insult to many millions
probably the majority of our citi-
zens, and he was guilty not only OF
pad taste but of Noor political judg-
| ment"
The overwhelming majority OF
voters, he said, are in every wav
loyal and will resent any attempt by
one group of leaders to take out an
exclusive patent" on our flag.
ITO claim that one party doc
trine is the only American one is to
infer that those who belong to an
other party faith are un-American.
That sort of campaigning ought not
to be excused even in the heat of an
election"
Differ In Conception.
Mr.. Roosevelt declared he would
"be the first to insist that Republi-
cans, rank and file. are just as sin
cerely proud of our country and our
flag as Democrats are. Mr.. Hays and
/ his party differ, however" he SAID
I'm the big concention of the great
purpose for which our flag is the
/ symbol"
The same gentleman has used
with inaccurate, but deliberate care
lessness, the word 'internationalism.
! With evident design he has sought %
convey the impression that peoote
who. believe in the League of Nations
are Internationalists' in the sense
used by certain radical groups VINO
/ do not believe in nations at all, or
| who seek super-goyernment in
place of true national governments.
son that one who seeks international
peace and international agreements
and international justice is thereby
an international red.
The whole falsity of this posi-
ton IS shown by asking the simple
question of whether the thirty-seven
nations who have already joined TIE
League of Nations have given 40
their own sovereignty their own con-
stltutional rights, their own flag
Even Switzerland, most jealous of IN
dependence and wary of alliances.
has voted by popular referendum to
join the League.
Long before 1914, American
statesmen advocated a League of Ma
tlons. Some, like President Taft, Ia
yored one that frankly called itself a
League to Enforce Peace. Yet he
was not called a traitor or a follow
er of internationalism
Hague Tribunal Failure.
We have seen the failure of the
Hague Tribunal to prevent wars. We
had seen indeed, an increase in
wars and in preparations for wars.
The other nations were well aware
that the American flag carried a new
message of hope, that it represented
treat people opposed to aggress-
ION and willing to change the exist
ing conditions of mistrust and com
! petltlve armament.
The great war came, and Ameri-
ca at last became a party to the
struggle. But we did not join forces
Tor the mere sake of crushing the
Kaiser on the field of battle. 1t was
not alone Kaiserism or Ie Central
Powers themselves that we were
flghting. We fought for something
constructive, in addition to the fight
against something destructive. Men
and women of all parties united in
demanding in 1917 that the evil in
the previous relationship between ma
tlons should be in the future remov.
ed Mere good will would not re-
move the danger, mere international
courts had been proved a failure A
I denmte, business-like, concrete as
soclation was demanded, something
that would prevent the causes If
trouble and not wait until trouble
:. itself had come to a head
\ The Nation United
In all of this the nation was unit
ed With this spirit and purpose,
our flag was carried across the seas
by the splendid men of our army and
navy The peoples of Europe, toa.
understood the message They well
coined the accession of military
strength; they knew that the Allies
would win in the end, but they saw in
the American flag the first sign Of
hope for their children and grand
children
"When the war ended, the prom
Use Of the American flag seemed TO
have come true International law,