Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-07-24
First Loyalty Is To
America

A thoughtful letter appeared
several days ago in the readers
column of the Minneapolis Morn
ing Tribune, on the subject of
Americanism and foreign rela-
tons, in reply to another letter
that had appeared earlier. The
letter, which was not published
in its entirety, in the Tribune,
likely due to lack of space, was
written by Mrs. Kathryn Riis
Owre of Minneapolis, who is
daughter of the late Jacob A.
Riis of New York city. She states
that the lend-lease bill is bill
to lead America into an unde-
clared war. Mrs. Owre's en-
tire letter, dated July 10, is
published herewith:
A letter in your paper this morning
arouses my ire to such an extent
that I needs must answer it at once.
Mrs. T. R. James makes the state
ment that sit is pathetic how little
some Scandinavians seem to care
whether Europe survives or not"
She states that she once believed
that "tho they were devoted Ameri-
cans, they still loved their mother
country"
There are good many points in
this letter which 1, as a child of true
Scandinavian parents, would like to
take up, not only because they point
out Mrs. James confused thinking,
but because they 60 to the heart
of the matter and reveal in great
part what is the matter with Ameri-
ca today. Often in the last year I
have wondered whether the 'Melt-
ing-Pot" is a failure. One would
think so in the light of the alienated
thinking that goes on in our great
country today. Mrs. James letter
explains why we have war-mongers
in our country, and why, indeed,
we are about to 60 over the preci-
pice ourselves. 1t tells us why there
is so little stolid American thinking.
It isn't America first any more, it is
the land of their ancestors overseas to
which too many people turn their
allegiance.
To you, Mrs. James, I would say
yes, those of Scandinavian ancestry
still love the land of their parents,
but because Scandinavians are well
known to become, once they are citi-
zens, not just hyphenated Americans,
but real honest, whole-hearted, loyal
Americans. They, or their parents
have taken the oath of allegiance to
this land of their adoption and they
didn't just humble off that oath
meaninglessly, no, they meant it with
all their heart and soul, and because
they are of Viking blood, they mean
to stand by it till death. And do
you know what that means? It
means thinking in terms of America
first, not thinking first of Denmark
or Norway or Sweden.
Of course they don't want America
to enter the war to "help England
free the enslaved people of Europe
because they wouldn't be thinking in
terms of America first, they would
be dividing their allegiance, or trans
ferring it to some land overseas.
You and every other Englishman,
Dane, Norwegian, Swede, Pole or any
one else who wants America to save
some land overseas are transferring
your allegiance from America to that
land, and 1 say shame on you all!
1 am a daughter of Danish parents.
My father, Jacob A. Riis, who wrote
the Making of an American" and
whom Theodore Roosevelt called the
man he would name as the ideal
American" taught his children to
love and honor the little land of his
birth but he instilled into their hearts
the most profound loyalty to America
and all that America stands for, and
that loyalty and patriotism will en-
dure with us till death. My father
and my mother were the two most
whole-hearted Americans ever
knew. They had no yellow streak
of divided allegiance to mar their
shining armour of patriotism. Once
having become American citizens they
gave their all.
My heart is sore and my blood boils
over the fate of beautiful little Den
mark, and over the fate of those
love there, and have reason indeed
to hate Nazism and do hate it with