The Washington herald., 1921-06-30
Challenges Mr.. Mccarthy.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
With the memory of my two best
buddies who went West" still fresh
in my heart. and knowing not only
their status and my own in regard
to the war, but also that of many
of my former pals, l cannot let
stand the statement made by Mr..
Mccarthy, of Bostons Fighting
Ninth.
Mr.. Mccarthy states that all men
who went from the States TO fight
with the British forces under the
Canadian flag were British or n.y.
phenated Americans at heart. He
also states that Americans. by join
ing the British army, automatically
became British subjects. Mr.. Nc
Carthy may be a very intelligent
man but it is obvious that in max
ing these statements he has not in
vestigated matters very closely.
I know of three cases personally.
dozens directly, and hundreds indi-
recty, of men who fought with the
Canadians in the late war-men who
were Americans to the core but who
for very good reasons elected to
fight under the British flag. The
most common reason was failure to
pass the strict physical examination
to which men who sought to enlist
in the American forces at the out
break of the war were subjected I
know of hundreds of Americans be-
sides we three who were rejected in
the States, and who went immedi-
ately to Canada and enlisted there.
We could have waited for the
draft here. but rather than be even
classed with conscripts we were.
willing to fight under an alien ban
ner. My two buddies, one of whom
served eight years in the American
army. and myself tried several
times to enlist in the American
army Immediately after the declara-
tion of war. but were rejected on
physical grounds. was rejected
fve times in April and May, 1917.
but we did not wait for the draft
and incidentally we were going
over the top" about the time "Bos-
tons Fighin' Ninth" were trying on
their first pair of leggings.
In the action in which both my
friends were killed and 1 lost one
OF my legs, one of us went over the
top with a little silken "Old Glory"
tied to his rife, and yet a man who
does not taSe the trouble to inves-
tigate before making rash state
ments has the nerve to call us
"hyphenated Americans!
Mr.. McCarthy's assertion that en-
listment In the British forces made
the men British subjects is easily
dispelled by reference to the act of
Congress dated March, 1902, which
provides: That citizens of the
United States cannot expatriate
themselves by enlisting in the mill
tary or naval forces of an allied
nation" Then. too, the oath of
allegiance we took to the crown
was but temporary one, for the
duration of the war only.
In regard to the British veter-
ans request. that they be included
in the bonus bill of Massachusetts,
will. admit that, in view of the
fact that Canada paid them a bo-
nus ten times as large as that of
the States, they should be content.
but II would have been better to
have given them the money which
was collected here to feed starving
Irish children than to have used IL
to purchase machine guns and am
A recent capture by the
Customs Service has made many
people wonder Just how many hun
CRY Irish children their contribu-
tion fed! Science will be surprised
to learn that Irish children can eat
guns and ammunition!
am neither prejudiced for nor
against Ireland's freedom. IL they
are fit to rule themselves and can
win their freedom, it's their busi-
ness, but over here the majority Of
people are getting very tired of
fund drives" and requests that this
country be made catspaw in fres-
ing her, and great many of us
would be happier IL those who arc
pro-lrish. would get gun and, GO
ing over. do n little real work and