OCR Text |
Show ROOSEVELT AT MASS MEETING Ridicules Continental Army Scheme and Denounces Demagogues. Philadelphia, Jan. 20. That the necessity of training Americans horn in this country as well as aliens who have come here, will count in the tu-turo tu-turo in the highest ideals of American citizenship, was dwelt upon hy speakers speak-ers at an all-day conference here under un-der the auspices of the National Americanization committee. The officials of the federal hu reaus of immigration, state officials sociologists and others interested in the problems of the immigrants were among the speakers at the confer ence, which was brought to a close by a mass meeting tonight at which former for-mer President Roosevelt was the principal prin-cipal speaker. Every seat in the opera house, where the meeting was held, was occupied when Alba B. Johnson, president of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, introduced Colonel Roosevelt. Roose-velt. President Wilson, in a telegram to Judge Clarence N. Goodwin of the Illinois appellate court, who was appointed ap-pointed chairman of a committee to formulate plans for a national council which would facilitate the work of Americanization of immigrants, told of his sympathy with the objects of the conference, and his willingness to receive representatives of tho committee com-mittee tomorrow before the regular cabinet meeting. The committee, however, decided to postpone its visit to the president until such time as its plans had been more definitely formulated. In addition to the creating of tho committee authorized to plan for the national council to eliminate duplication duplica-tion of the activities of the various agencies engaged in the work of Americanization of emigrants, resolutions resolu-tions were adopted suggesting that naturalization courts be held at night so that workingmen would not lose a day's employment, and calling upon the federal bureau of education to prepare and publish In as many languages lan-guages a pamphlet containing the government gov-ernment of the country, to be used as a standard in the annexation of aliens. Louis F. Post, assistant secretary of the United States department of labor, who presided at the afternoon meet-ing( meet-ing( declared his belief that Americanization Ameri-canization is needed quite as much by those born in this country as by aliens. "To understand what Americanization Americaniza-tion means," he said, "we must not only grasp these ideals of our national na-tional life, the idea of human brotherhood broth-erhood with which the names of Jefferson Jef-ferson and Lincoln are associated. Wo must also acknowledge that our country has not yet realized its ideals. They are not fully or firmly Imbedded in our national Institutions." Roosevelt's Address. Under the theme of "Fear God and Take Your Own Part," Colonel Roosevelt Roose-velt touched a wide range of discussion. discus-sion. He appealed to America to fulfill ful-fill her promises of liberty and equal opportunity to the people who come from foreign lands, declaring that to be the first essential in transforming transform-ing them into desirable citizens. Ger-nianj' Ger-nianj' had, he said, proved that an autocratic government can take care of its working classes and its business busi-ness interests at the same time, and the aim of the United States should be to demonstrate that a democracy could accomplish the same things. Military training starting in the high schools of the country, greater governmental control over corporations corpora-tions and likewise lessened state control, together with federal supervision super-vision and encouragement of the man-nfnoMirft man-nfnoMirft nf mnnitlnrm wpta nther questions urged by the speaker. "In a book which has long been a favorite in our family, one of the characters sums up the duty of man as being to 'Fear God and take your own part.' " Colonel Roosevelt said. "Surely it is just as good a motto for a nation as for a man. We fear God when we do justice to and demand justice from the men within our borders. bor-ders. We must do it to the weak and we must do it to the strong. We must organize our social and industrial life so as to secure a reasonable equality equal-ity of opportunity for all men to show the stuff that is in them and a reasonable rea-sonable division among those engaged en-gaged in industrial work of the reward re-ward for that industrial work. "Outside of our own borders we must treat other nations as we wish to be treated in return, judging each in any given crisis as we ourselves ought to be judged, that is, by our conduct in that crisis. If we are really real-ly devoted to a high ideal, we must, in so far as our strength permits, aid those who are wronged by others. oth-ers. When we sit idly by when Belgium Bel-gium Is being overwhelmed, and, rolling rol-ling up our eyes, prattle with unctuous unctu-ous self-righteousness about the duty of neutrality, wo show yiat we do not really fear God; on the contrary, wo show an odious fear of the devil and a mean readiness to serve him." Must Take Its Own Part. The nation should, the colonel said, be prepared to take its own part. A country that cannot defend Itself often oft-en is as fertile a source of evil as one which does wrong to others, he said, continuing: "Whatever may be the case in an infinitely remote future, at present no people can render very great service to humanity unless as a people they feel an intense sense of national cohesion co-hesion and solidarity. The man who loves other nations as much as he does his own country stands on a par with a man who loves other women as much as he does his own wife. The United States can accomplish little for mankind save in so far as within with-in its borders it develops an Intense spirit of Americanism, The professors profes-sors of every form of hyphenated Americanism are as thoroughly the foes of this country as If they dwelled without its borders and made active war against it. Once it was true, as Lincoln said, that thi3 country could not endure half free and half slave. Today it is true that it cannot endure half American and half foreign. The hyphen is incompatible with patriotism. patrio-tism. "World peace must rest on the willingness wil-lingness of nations with courage, cool foresight and readiness for self-sacrifice to defend the fabric of international inter-national law. No nation can help in securing an organized, peaceful and justice-doing world community until it is willing to run risks and make efforts to secure and maintain such a community." An efficient national government system is the best Instrument of industrial in-dustrial and military preparedness, the speaker said, and all the forces to such an end must be under the regulation of a single power the power pow-er of the national government. There is nothing in the country to which to point as an example of military efficiency, effi-ciency, he said, and as regards the navy America was in good shape seven sev-en years ago, but since then Germany, England and Japan have gone ahead very fast, while we at first stopped going ahead and for the last three years have been going backward. Colonel Roosevelt praised California for what he called a genuine and successful suc-cessful effort to secure industrial prosperity, and also that approximate reasonable division of the results of prosperity, which can only come when there is both an aroused 6ocial conscience con-science and a common sense translation transla-tion by practical men of that aroused social conscience into efficient legislative legis-lative and administrative action. Denounces Demagogues. "On the whole, the demagogue is at least as great an enemy of social advancement ad-vancement as the crooked champion of business and political privilege." Mr Roosevelt said. "California, under Governor Johnson, has tried to do justice jus-tice to the railways as well as as to exact justice from them. This effort has been partially nullified by the fact that in direct contravention of one of the main purposes which the United States constitution was designed to put into effect we have permitted interstate in-terstate commeroe largely to pass under un-der the control of the states Instead of keeping it under the control of the nation. When, for Instance, California, Califor-nia, appreciating the -fact that railroads rail-roads cannot possibly be successfully operated unless they are allowed business busi-ness opportunities which will enable them to make a reasonable profit acted accordingly, the action was nullified nul-lified by certain neighboring state commissions. California's experience has shown that It is impossible permanently per-manently to secure good results in dealing with the instrumentalities of interstate commerce, tho railroads, doing do-ing an Interstate business, through tho commissions of forty-eight different differ-ent states, and that the only way is to have tho whole business of interstate inter-state commerce and everything pertaining per-taining to it handled by the administrative admin-istrative officers at Washington. "I believe in a national incorporation incorpora-tion law for corporations of any size- ( f r engaged In interstate business." One of the greatest drawbacks In i dealing equitably with corporations is the determination of professional antitrust anti-trust men to punish the corporations for past abuses, the speaker said. He advocated laws for the benefit ol farmers, workers and shippers, but as-1 serted that if these laws make it im- possible for the shipping Interests, for ? the railroads, or for any of the great business interests concerned, to do'j business at a reasonable profit, thev j create a situation far more Intolerable than that which they endeavor to remedy. rem-edy. No commerce commission or railway commission, he said. "Is worth its salt unless it stands unflinchingly against any popular clamor which prevents pre-vents the corporation from getting ample am-ple profits, exactly as It stands against 4 the corporation which, having secured ample profits, fails to render proper service to the public, and do justice j to its employes, and to act honestly ' toward all men." , Example of Germany. i Discussing Germany, Colonel Roose- velt said: i "For the last eighteen months I 1 (Continued on Page 9) , f ROOSEVELT AT MASS MEETING (Continued from Page 2) have borne testimony with all mv strength against Germany because of its cynical disregard of the obligations of international humanity, alike in its dealings with Belgium, in the outrages committed on non-combatants of other oth-er nationalities and in its assaults upon up-on our own people. It has been to our deep discredit as a nation that we have not actively and effectively interfered in-terfered against the callous brutality. But, exactly as I hold it to be an abhorrent ab-horrent thing to show timidity or weakness in dealing with Germany, where Germany Is wrong where she wrongs either ourselves or others so I hold it an unspeakably foolish thing to refuse to pay heed to the German example where this example should be followed by other nations "Germany offers a striking example of national efficiency on a gigantic scale Germany has been far In advance ad-vance of us In securing industrial as- Hiir.nnpfv nlrl-ntrp nnnnlnnn nnrl homos. a reasonable, fair division of profits between employer and employed, and tho like. She has also been far in advance ad-vance of us in the way she has both controlled and encouraged Industry Above all, she has been far in advance of us in securing national cohesion, in requiring both from the great employer employ-er and from the man who tolls with his hands the fullest and most complete com-plete loyalty to the nation She has not had to improvise methods of meeting meet-ing crisis in war It would be well for our mere business materiality to ponder the fact that her success in peace has been due to her Insistence upon the very qualities which have made her successful in war. The two movements havo gone hand In hand. Either would havo failed without the other. "The question of tho regulation of business so as to promote prosperity and Insure the just distribution of its blessings among employers and employes em-ployes alike Is a vital tator in Americanizing Ameri-canizing the immigrants. There is no doubt tlmt hundreds of thousands flock to our shores with their Imaginations Imag-inations inflamed for the freedom and justice they expect to find here. They give up their old homos and come here with high hopes of better living conditions con-ditions and greater opportunities. Tho opportunities are undoubtedly here. But thousands of simple-minded folks from the villages of Europe do not know how to find them. They are herded into industrial communities, and either through the bad business conditions or through Inhumanity and Indifference they are forced to lead lives that disappoint every promise made to them by this nation. It Is difficult to make good Americans of these people. The surest way to win them is to redeem tho promises of America, Give them social and industrial indus-trial justice. And this can be done only through the effective regulation of business." no |