The Blot on the Kaiser's 'ScutcheonHillis, Newell Dwight
History
The Blot on the Kaiser's 'Scutcheon
Hillis, Newell Dwight
World War, 1914-1918 -- Sermons
Out on the Ohio River there is a large steel town. During the last few
years many foreigners who have the Bolsheviki spirit have crossed the
ocean and found work in the great shops and factories. Little by little
the foreign newspapers have developed the spirit that has now ruined
Russia, and is here under the American name of the I. W. W. movement. In
this steel city was an anarchist, with real power to move the mobs. The
mere mention of the name of Carnegie or Rockefeller was to him like
waving a red flag in the face of a bull. In the evenings it was his
custom to climb upon a box at the corner of the street, close to a
little park, and tell his hearers that all the wealth in the rich man's
house was created by the workman's muscle. He made no allowance for the
inventor, for the organizer, for the risks taken by the man who built a
factory. A few weeks ago this anarchist laid down a newspaper,
containing an account of the trial of the I. W. W. leaders in Chicago.
That night, becoming alarmed, lest he himself be caught in the drag-net,
and perhaps forced to enlist as an enemy alien, this agitator
disappeared, leaving behind him his board bill, laundry bill, tailor's
bill, not to mention many other forms of indebtedness--a disappearance
that led every one of his creditors to give up any and all faith in the
American Bolsheviki movement.
Now there was a young boy of about twenty-three who had long been
listening to this agitator. When, therefore, the second night after the
anarchist's disappearance came, this young man, who aspired himself to
be a leader of the mob, climbed up on the soap box, at the corner of the
little park, and began to speak to the same old crowd.
"Think of it, my friends! Just think of it! Think of some soldier coming
in here and making me enlist! I have no grudge against the Germans. I
don't want to kill them. My forefathers were all German! My name is
German. And I am an American all right, all right! Still, I don't
propose to have anybody tell me what I must do. If I want to enlist, I
will enlist, and if I don't, I won't! I'd like to see some Government
agent come along and grab me for the draft! When he comes, he'll hear a
few things from me, and then some!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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