The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-24
AN ACT OF AMERICANISM


The stand taken by President Harding and
Secretary of State Hughes, acting in conjunc-
tion in refusing to permit this nation to act
as mediator between Germany and the allies,
in settling the reparations dispute and solving
the problem which has already been solved,
was most commendable and evidences the great
axiom that Amercanism dominates the really
great and big men of this country, no matter
what their political faiths may be, no matter
in what religious creeds or dogmas they pro-
fess belief.
1t seems to us that the executive chief Of
this nation, acting through and with his prin-
cipal lieutenant, did the manly thing the
American thing, evidencing that as Americans
they wanted to see only the fairest thing pos
sibe done, when the message was conveyed
to Germany that "this government strongly
desires that there shall be an immediate re-
sumption of negotiations and reiterate its earn
est hope that the German government will
promptly formulate such proposals as would
present a proper basis for discussion"
There can be no question but that the most
narrow-mnded conception of affairs in this
country prompted Germany in the belief that
narrow-minded politics upon the part of the
Republican administration in America, coupled
with money madness of the American people,
would lead the President of the United States,
vocing the German-assumed sentiments of the
people of the United States, to interfere in the
negotiations in Europe and, guided by par
simoniousness and small-caliber politics, give
the former Imperial empire" the best of the
deal.
Basing their opinions upon an erroneous
belief that the so-called German-Americans
the predominating factor in American politics,
assuming that those so-called Americans
despite the fact that some of the most loyal
soldiers in the United States armies which saw
overseas duty, were men Of German parentage).
are more loyal to the interests of the father
land" than to the interests of the country under
whose flag they live and fatten-basing this
assumption, doubtless, upon the hypothesis that
the returns of the last general election indicated
a landslide of the "German-American" vote
from the party which was in power when the
United States entered the war against the "im-
perial empire" to the party which was opposed
to the policies of Wilson, because Americans
were pro-German, forgetting in the meanwhile
that Americanism ranks above all else with the
Republicans, as well as the Democrats of the
United States, the proverbial narrowness of
the German mind prompted the belief, which
proved fallacy, that Mr.. Harding Republican
president, backed up by Republican cabinet
and supported by a Republican congress, would
step into the breach and, acting as mediator,
would in the name of the greatest nation in the
world, propose settlement most favorable
to nation whose Official word has ever been
found not worth the breath expended in giving
it utterance.
Assuming further that the "commercialism"
of the American people, would prove invaluable
to German interests through demanding that
President Harding put the power of his office
and the influence of his political position behind
Germany in order that American manufactur-
ers and dealers should fatten off of German
trade. the officials of the German government.
backed their stand and based their hopes for
a perfidious settlement with the allies upon
the assumption that Mr.. Harding was Repub-
lcan, bent upon making his administration a
commercial success and that thus actuated
he would forget that he was the executive head
of the nation whose government is builded
upon foundation cemented with the blood of
the patriots who first overthrew autocracy,
over century and a half ago.
Mr.. Harding is Republican. Mr.. Hughes
is a Republican. Their political views are
dametric to the views we entertain; their
views are controversial to the fundamentals in
which we believe. Theirs is the party which,
as Democrat we believe advocates laws, rules
and regulations which are not for the best of
all, which do not conserve the interests of the
masses as well as those interests are con-
served in the principles of the party which