THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
Published every afternoon except Sunday, by the Nenana Printing
Company, at First and B Streets, Nenana, Alaska.
R. G. Southworth.- Editor and Manage.
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WHY WE ARE AT WAR
WITH GERMANY
A Seriei of Lectu-e» By Ephraim Douglas Adams, Executive Head
of History Department, of Leland Stanford Junior University •
LECTURE NUMBER NINE
“The object of this war is to deliver the free peoples of the worl
from the menace and the actual power of a vast military establishmen
controlled by an irresponsible government, which, having secretly planner
to dominate the world, proceeded to carry out the plan without repar<
either to the sacred obligations of treaty or the long-established practice
and long-cherished principles of international action and honor, .
power is not the German people. It is the ruthless master of the G
people. ... It is our business to see to it that the history of the T ■>
the world is no longer left to its handling.’-—President Wilson, Ar .
27. 1917.
Two Bit
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. 9.0(
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$ .51
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.21
TRAITORS TO OUR DEMOCRACY
The general definition of a traitor is one “who gives aid and
comfort to the enemy." This is usually applied to direct action, as
in the Oklahoma movement in opposition to the draft, or the en
couragement of draft evasions, or when an American citizen re
veals our war plans to Germany.
Such acts constitute direct treason; but there is a kind of
indirect treason, much harder to define and combat, yet often
far more dangerous to our country and the success of the war
than direct treason. Before the war there were in this country
many social, political, or humanitarian movements on foot, all of
which were -adical (that is to say, advocates of change) in their
programs. Such, for example, were the Socialists, the Land Tax
reformers, the Pacifists. But all these asserted faith in the demo
cratic principle in government and wished to gain their ends by
converting our democracy. Most of the adherents of these various
movements have recognized that this democracy* of ours, having
entered upon war, must be supported—that special programs must,
for the moment, be subordinated to the one great object of winning
the war. But there are some persons so feeble-minded or so in
capable of grasping the world importance of this war, that they
talk and write things calculated to weaken our efficiency- in war.
These people are traitors to our democracy.
The whole matter is summed up by the Single Tax Journal
of California (Everyman, November. 1917): “Wilson's business
now is to win the war, and win it soon. . . . The radical press
should stop knocking him and attend to its own business—which
is to create the democracy that the Allies are to make the world
safe for. To fight war. after it is on. is bootless. To hinder its
quick, effective prosecution is, of cou*-se, traitorous.”
But there are other methods than radical speech which can
‘hinder the quick, effective prosecution of the war.” Labor or
ganizations, long engaged in a struggle for better labor conditions,
may see in the existence of war an opportunity- to secure their de
mands. If such demands are unusual and if they would have been
unjustified had there been no war—if labor seeks to take special
advantage of the existence of war, then such labor is traitorous. It
hinders the successful prosecution of the war. For the most part,
labor organizations have not sought such special advantage, but a
few have done so, and in public estimation they stand as traitors
to our democracy.
Business men—men with capital—are not free from the im
putation of traitorous conduct. That man who places his own busi
ness interests above the interests of the nation in this war is
traitorously minded. If he deliberately seeks profit at the expense
of national efficiency (as in the sale of undergrade materials to
the government (he should be punished, not simply as a cheat,
but as a traitor. This is the rare exception. It is the almost un
conscious exaltation of his own business interests, however, that
makes the average busines man dangerously liable to traitorous
conduct. There is no such thing as “business as usual” during
a war.
Finally, the question of honest tax returns and of subscrib
ing to war loans is directly and positively a question of loyalty or
treason. There is no need to argue the point that the man who
conceals his resources, or makes dishonest tax returns is a traitor
in intent and deed. What about lending to the government? Such
lending means usually a slight sacrifice. But the war can not be
won without sacrifices—and great sacrifices. If a man has money,
which he can lend, and if he does not lend, he is traitorous, for he
hinders the quick and effective prosecution of the war.
Such traitors may indeed never be brought to punishment,
even though they deserve it as much as the radical Pacifist who
argues against this war, or covertly belittles the honesty of the
purposes of our Allies. But the radical who sneers, and the man
with money who can lend and does not, are alike traitorous to our
country, to our faith in democracy, and to our objects in this war.
And we, who do make sacrifices, know them for the traitors that
they are.
* * » * *
i. A NATIONAL DUTY.
i -
The treasury of the United States has a great deal of money
to raise and it can not be raised by bankers alone, says Secretary
McAdoo. The banks of this country can not alone sustain Ameri
ca's needs in this war and extend to our allies the essential aid
which they must have to continue the war.
The rich of this country can not do it alone; the men of this
country can not do it alone; the women of this country can not
do it alone; but all of us, the people of the United States, disre
garding partisanship, forgetting selfish interests, thinking only of
the supremacy of right and determined to vindicate the majesty
of American ideals and secure the safety of America and civiliza
tion, can do the great and splendid work which God has called
upon us to do.
* * * » *
FINAL REPORT OF
THE CITIZENSHIP
NOT SCHOOL
>
1 Hon. Charles E. Bunnell, Judge U.
1 S. District Court. Fourth Division,
and ex-officio Superintendent
( Night Schools:
( The Citizenship Night School of
I Nenana, Alaska, by its instructor,
> begs to submit the following report:
. The fourth month school sessions
of the above school ended on the
15th ultimo. The sessions con
sisted of twenty (20) school nights,
j and hours of instruction for each
; night varied from 3 to 3 *4 hours
! and more. There was an increase
in enrollment over last month from
4 to 49 students, 46 men and 3
women. Their ages ranged from 20
r to 54 years. As the school was or
* ganized for 16 weeks or 60 sessions,
j the term was completed on March
1 15, 1918. The students represented
■ following nations: Norway 10;
Russia 10; Italy 5; Austria 3; Greece
.12; Germany 2; Sweden 3; Denmark
tjl; Canada 2; Scotland 1; Ireland 1:
[Bohemia 1; Bulgaria 1: Hungaria 1;
i Switzerland 1; Montenegro 1; Fin
land 1; Ameriacns 3; eighteen dif
I ferent nationalities.
The Enrollment by Months
First month—men 29, women 3,
!total 32.
i
Second month—men 39, women o,
j total 42.
; Third month—men 42, women 3,
j total 45.
I Fourth month—men 46, women 3,
j total 49.
The average monthly attendance
’ was men 39, women 3.
! And now I desire to respectively
I submit the following observations:
! Early every Fall a similar Citizen
ship Night school should be organ
ized in Nenana with a term of at
i least (6) months’ duration. The
I instructor or instructress should be
| a teacher of much experience in the
! school room, carrying besides a gen
! eral, all around education of the
! business world. School books suit
| able for foreigners and other back
’ ward students, and there are now a
| number of such books published,
' should be selected and an ample
| supply be on hand before the term
, opens. And no one is better fitted
, to make such selections than out
present Commission of Education,
Hon. L. D. Henderson, of Juneau,
Alaska.
. In order to have such books or
hand at commencement of term,
: they must reach this Interior Alaska
1 before navigation closes. To be
compelled to make use of the ordin
ary school books, will tax the pa
, tience, ingenuity and resourceful
ness of the best teacher. Then there
[should be provided in time suitable
i benches, chairs, desks or tables. The
I present ordinary desk in our public
schools cannot be used by student:
| of a night school. Besides, there
; should be wall maps of Alaska, Asia
Africa, Europe. North and Soutl
- America and the United States
These are invaluable aids in brinj
| ing results in a school.
The law giving authority to es
jtablish Citizenship Night schools ii
: the territory of Alaska was enactee
■ by the territorial legislature and ap
[proved by the governor May 3, 1917
Under this law, Section 7, says
“Any person, an adult or minor 1(
years of age or more, not attendin,
school elsewhere, who leads a civil
ized life, shall be eligible to attenc
! a citizenship night school.”
Under the above act, the peopl
of Nenana were one of the first
if not the very first community
in the territroy. to establish sue!
school.
And now, in closing this report
I would fain emphasize in a broade
way, the ideal, aim, and purpos
which should be the achievement o
such Citizenship schools. They wil
have failed of their ideals, if no
the practical purposes, if they d
not stimulate the people to a highe
and truer American citizenshii
They will have failed of their put
pose if they do not exert an ir
fluence far-reaching in effects tc
ward making these and all publi
education more democratic; an
finally they will fail if such school
do not open up broader opportun;
ties of advancement intellectually
physically and morally, and mater:
ally through education,—to an in
finitely greater number and range
of students.
Americanization.
Some 200,000 foreigners, we are
told, are annually inducted into
American citizenship through natur
alization. No organized effort to
1 train naturalized aliens for the great
responsibilities of American citizen
ship was undertaken until the U. S.
Bureau of Naturalization recognized
the absolute necessity for inculcat
ing into those would-be citizens a
substantial understanding of their
new estate. Today, under its ad
vice and kindly suggestions, over
2,000 patriotic communities are con
ducting special school adaptable
' courses, and using textbooks pro-1
| pared by this great bureau of na- j
i turalization. and training these new
iand would-be citizens in English, in
I our American system of government
I and in the simpler educational re
j quirements most likely to be useful
I to them as citizens. Let it be re
membered that more than 90 per
cent of the seekers after American
citizenship are wage earners. In
view of this fact, it is readily real
ized that this bureau is executing
one of the important trusts of labor,
in dealing in a very fundamental
and practical way with conditions
among the working people.
This campaign, by said bureau,
iq co-operation with the public
schools of our land, is a gigantic
j federal administrative undertaking.
' It sends annually thousands of let
! ters to would-be new citizens, telling
■ them the Uunited States government
j is vitally and deeply interested in
their behalf; that it desires so much
; to aid them to establish themselves
| as true anl loyal American citizens,
; and to form an American home.
It points out to them the advant
, ages that will be theirs by an at
tendance upon the classes in Citi
i zenship schools. And such work has
i gone on to and in communities
, where public school authorities and
| citizens generally never dreamed of
teaching adults, let alone adult
aliens. An outline course in citi
zenship and a syllabus of the na
j turalization law has been prepared
I and in printed pamphlet form by
I same bureau. Mass meetings have
; been held by many cities for the
purpose of stimulating attendance
upon night classes and in securing
a greater enrollment of aliens. And
1 let this truth sink deep into the
true American, that each and every
one of our best endeavors must tend
toward assistance in making Ameri
cans of foreigners, and as a sort of
a by-product, also make American
: citizens of many American born.
In other words, we must reach out
for an upbuilding of all American
[citizenship. And if our citizenships
i are to become real, true and loyal
Americans, both native and alien,
I the ideals of our country must un
!
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
FOR SALE—Well matched Cross and
Red Fox Skins. Apply Simson’s.
WANTED—Wood. Must be dry,
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Nenana Steam Laundry.
FOR SALE OR RENT—National
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i A country worth fighting for is
: a country worth saeing for. Buy
.! THRIFT STAMPS.
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Qrf<’K ACTION
R. E. COOLEY
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ceasingly be taught them, together
with our Constitution, reading and
writing. And I am unreservedly of
the belief that we must teach one
and all one common language, and
that the English, in order that what
ever our thoughts from the highest
position to the most humble place,
everyone shall understand through
speech and writing what the thoughts
of his fellow-citizens are. This
strikes my mind as the very funda
mental of it all.
Never again must our emigration
gates at our ports swing inward
without instruction, without train
ing, without guidance, without wel
come and sympathy to the alien
man and women.
J. C. MURPHY,
Instructor.
Buy That Libery Bond Today.
No trouble to buy, cheap, con
venient, a real investment.—WAR
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^'Let us grasp this opportunity^
Your government is depending upon you in this, the most
critically and vital need of the war. The navy wants 100,000
extra pairs of eyes to spy out the enemy submarines of the
sea. If you have, or if you know of any of your friends hav
ing Spy-glasses, Binoculars, or any good Glasses to loan to
the government during the war, have them sent at once to
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, U. S. Naval Observatory,
Washington, D. C.
Your glasses will be tagged with your name and address,
and if not lost during the war, they will be returned to you.
You will help your country win the war. Think what this
will mean to you, and if you are fortunate enough to have
your galsses saved, you will possess a priceless souvenir; Who
knows but that your glasses will be the ones to spot a sub
marine, and you the American to save a Thousand American
Boys.
This Space Donated By
WM. TAYLOR
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