The Washington times., 1930-09-29

community.
But since the radio speaks to the whole
citizenship, will revive that fine old
fashioned phrase, fellow citizens"
Let me say that am very happy to be
one of our fellow citizens.
know of no finer title, and ] want no
higher position than to be citizen Of the
United States Of America.
In ancient days to be Roman citizen
meant to be the equal Of princes and kings.
Today the most envied honor in the world
is to be an American citizen.
And this is so not merely because Amer
lea is the greatest nation in the world, but
because it's the freest nation in the world,
and the happiest nation on account Of its
freedom.
We cannot understand how much freedom
means in this country until we come back
from countries where freedom means
nothing.
Here we have freedom of thought, free
dom of the press, freedom of speech.
Here we can think and say and do what
we please as long as we do not interfere
with the rights and liberties of our fellow
citizens
But the great honor and advantage Of
being an American citizen carries with it
an obligation just as great, and that obliga-
tion is to preserve inviolate the rights and
liberties and privileges which our fore
fathers won for us in blood and toll and
travail, that we may hand this precious
heritage of freedom and independence, Of
liberty and dignity, down to our children
and our children's children, undiminished
and unimpaired.
Mr. Aylesworth, the very able gentle
man who directs this radio, has desired me
to speak about the incident of my recent
exclusion from France.
defer to hiS judgment, although think
that incident already has been sufficiently
discussed.
Furthermore, know the incident is Of
no consequence, except insofar as it affects
the rights and liberties Of other American
citizens, and the respect due the dignity Of
American citizenship.
The action of the French government has
SO much the petulance of a spoiled child,
and is so reminiscent of the days when the
little boy next door got mad and said, You
can't play in my yard, ;" that it is difficult
to discuss the incident seriously.
Nevertheless, it has its serious side.
To begin with the French government
has asserted
First, that the secret Anglo French Naval
Treaty, secured two years ago by my news
papers, was obtained by rifling the govern
1nent files;
Second, that it was secured by bribery
and corruption of government officials;
Third, that it was secured and published
in order to injure France.
Speaking Of the small boy attitude of
the French government, am reminded of
the story about the little chap who was
asked by his teacher to describe lobster
and he said that lobster was a red fish
which walked backwards.
The teacher replied that the description
was all right except for the fact that
lobster wasn't red and wasn't fish and
didn't walk backwards.
Similarly, it may be said that the asser-
tions of the French government would be
all right except for the fact that they are
all wrong.
The treaty was not secured by rifling
the files.
It was not secured by bribery and cor
ruption. ..
And it was not published to iniure
France but to inform American citizens on
a subject concerning which they had the
right to be informed
The secret treaty was not secured by
any devious or indirect methods.
It was secured by good direct American
go-and- -get-it methods.
The fact that this secret naval treaty
was under negotiation between England
and France was widely rumored in diplo-
matte circles.
was acquainted with several distin-
guished Frenchmen Influential in public af-
fairs.
I contended to them that such secret
treaty was not fair to America, their recent
valued ally.
said that one of the great reasons which
President Wilson had given for our entry
into the world war was to end the evil of
secret diplomacy, which had been the con-
tributing cause of so many wars.
AMMEL GETS READY CHILD