True Americanism 49 



there could be no better men in the ranks of our 

 native-born citizens. 



In closing, I can not better express the ideal at- 

 titude that should be taken by our fellow-citizens of 

 foreign birth than by quoting the words of a rep- 

 resentative American, born in Germany, the Hon- 

 orable Richard Guenther of Wisconsin. In a speech 

 spoken at the time of the Samoan trouble, he said : 



"We know as well as any other class of American 

 citizens where our duties belong. We will work for 

 our country in time of peace and fight for it in time 

 of war, if a time of war should ever come. When 

 I say our country, I mean, of course, our adopted 

 country. I mean the United States of America. 

 After passing through the crucible of naturalization, 

 we are no longer Germans ; we are Americans. Our 

 attachment to America can not be measured by the 

 length of our residence here. We are Americans 

 from the moment we touch the American shore until 

 we are laid in American graves. We will fight for 

 America whenever necessary. America, first, last, 

 and all the time. America against Germany, Amer- 

 ica against the world ; America, right or wrong ; al- 

 ways America. We are Americans." 



All honor to the man who spoke such words as 

 those; and I believe they express the feelings of the 

 great majority of those among our fellow- Ameri- 

 can citizens who were born abroad. We Americans 

 can only do our allotted task well if we face it stead- 



3 VOL. I. 



