Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-01-06 | Page 18 | Unpatriotic Mayor

UNPATRIOTIC MAYOR. Daniel A. Hoan, mayor of Milwaukee, has arrived at the conclusion that he cannot comply with the platform of the Socialist party adopted at St. Louis and at the same time obey the constitution and laws of the "United States. A patriotic pa-triotic American citizen would have no hesitancy in deciding what course to pursue. Mayor Hoan, however, put the matter up to the Milwaukee county central committee, which voted unanimously unan-imously that it was the mayor's duty to execute and carry out the laws of the country. Then Hoan sent a statement state-ment of the c:ise to the leaders of the Socialist party, and if they approve he will remain a member of the party and at. the same time hold on to his office. If they disapprove, he will resign from the party. There should he some way to remove this man from office, for if the Socialist So-cialist leaders arc willing that he should remain in the party and at thi same time act as m.iyor of Wisconsin's largest and most important 'ity, it will be apparent appar-ent that he is being maintained in his municipal position, not for the purpose of serving his country in time of war. but to advance the interests of the So-' So-' cialis-t party, which is against the government gov-ernment in war and in pea-'e. N"o man is fit to hold any kind of oftit-e, municipal, munic-ipal, stnto or national, who is unable to take his stand on the si tie of the government without reference to the opinion of any other man or set of 1 : men. If Hoan had been a real Amer-' Amer-' ienn he would have resigned from the i Socialist party the moment he arrived at the conclusion that he could not stand upon the St. Louis platform and carry out the constitution and laws of the United States at one and the same time. But I19 does not ring true, and if he continues to act as mayor of Milwaukee he will without doubt become be-come an object of suspicion and it will be necessary for the federal government to keep him under surveillance while the war lasts. The situation is truly remarkable and does not speak well for be or bio a ted Milwaukee, where the hyphenated hy-phenated citizens hold full sway. A preat majority of the citizens of Wisconsin are as patriotic as the citizens citi-zens of any other state and in the civil war days her soldiers were among the finest and bravest in the land. The deeds of these men are recorded in history his-tory and will ever reflect credit upon the Badger state. This record makes it all the more unfortunate that at a time when the United States is engaged in the most destructive war of all the ages Wisconsin should be cursed with La Follettea, Bergers and Hoans, men who cannot be trusted to obey the laws and who by their attitude shoyv that they are not following the American flag over the seas to victory.