Patriotic Germans

Germania Lodge, D. O. H., had a flag dedication, July 4, at Relief Park, with speeches by Mayor Doty and Záivor P. G. Suekey. A procession of he various Germán societies was formd and marehed through the streets of he city. John Mejer, president of he D. O. H., presided at the park and ntrodueed the speakers. Mayoa Doty's address was as follows: Mr. President and fellow eitizens: be exercises in which we particípate o-tday have as it were a two fold ïature. On the one hand, a private association, Germania Lodge, D. O. I., a fraternity organized for benen-oent purposes and vvholly unconneeted with the machinery of the state, cele)rates in company with its friends an mportant event in the annals of its i'.Btory. "On the other this numeruos com)any gi American citizens ihemelvea a pait and parcel of that t;loious bcwtnre, tin governmetit ty thfi people. of the reople and for the leople,1 conimeniovatiti ihia t!n ,mniversary day of the birth of our great republie. "It is not becoming for me perhaps oeing the guest or Oermania Lodge, tú gpeak at length upon the inerits of that organization, for the record of good she has made in out city is mown to us all. The widowed and fatlnerless in many desolute homes riso up and cali her blessed, amd in theip lehalf I am eure the talented orator who addresses you to-day, my friend ;he editor of Der Hausfreund, will notj' ail to render the full tribute of&their ove and praise. Neither need I add one word to the dedication of the! eautiful banner which to-day becoinea the ensign of the order of Harugari, and the emblem of their mission among the song of men. The ceremonies are complete in theniselves, md consécrate the standard even without the aid of words. I will only say thafc when your committee invited rtne as the mayor of the city to par;icipate In these ceremonies it seemedl ;o me a most graceful compliment that this benevolent and fraternal organization, celebrating as private citizens, the birthday of the American nation, should invoke the presence of the chief servant of their city at theii' commemorative For, my friends, that little act of courtesy simple in itself, was yet 'sui generis' and was the instinctive tribiute of Germán int-elligence and honest German patriotism to the established order under whlch we live. It was a suggestion.too, of tlhat intímate connection which ought always to existi between the people and their agentd and of that mutual confidence and re speet which ought always to actúate them in their relations with each other. "It was a (reminder also that al though this was thei day set apart for an event which to the lodge itself is o peculiar interest, was yet and mort Ithe day of days when all Americanec in official as well as private life shoul( consécrate anew that majestic banner of the states whfch symbolizes the lüberty, the cquality and the fraternity of men. "A few days ago iit was my fortuné to address the delegates of a great benevolent society who asseimbled in our city. I well remember the assurance of their worthy president that although they spoke the Germán totnguo and love their Germán fatherland, they were yet Amerifcans in all tlie word iinplies . "To me, a resident of oíd Washtenaw all the years of vay Ufe, this osstirance was entirely unnecessary. Rcared in t,he midst of the Germán people wfho have so numerously aiul so fortunately made tiüla county their liome, connected witii them in business and social intercourse during ttoe years of my later inanhood and convereaat, I think. with Germán tliought and Germán literature to at least a email degree, it would bo sti-ange indeed did I not know that nowhetre under the broad canopy of Heaven, beats 1Jheii-e a heart more fervent in its loyalty to tihe principies of American Hbcrty tliau that which sends tihe patriot b-lood coursing1 tihrough Germaii veins. "And bo to-day not simply as brotfliera of the Harugari of the ATicient Order of United Workmen, Arbelter Verein, Lamdweiir or of auy oí the otlher fraternities oí men, not entlrely as Gerniatns or Americana by birth or deeceat, but as fellows, companions and In-ottiers wr stand ;ix men in that greater uVd more gloriOUB Bund, tino People of the UnJtied Sbates, equals in the epuallty of their opportunities and free in the liberty of theil laws. And t hu. iny trieiids, while we contémplate witu prlde the starfdard whleh we dedícate to-day whtle wo ren our aUeglknce to our f(ilow man mul piedle ourselves anew to ?aehi other"a calase let u take tó ourselves lor our common country tlw words of VatlniArndt for f at herían d: "O Deutsche lieb' and treue Du hohes land, du sehoenes land, Dir schwoeren wir aufs neue." "For our country's stajidard and the rfcedom tor wMch tt stands has made for us all a largar fratcrnity, a universal In-othorhood for the rational lib?rty oí enlightened mem Under its starry olds let Germán and American alika "Habt die henen himmelan Und himmelan die haonde.. Und rufetatle manu fur mann, Die Knechtachafe hat ein en." Miss Sophie Meyers presented the flag in a brief speech, the prestdenrt accepted it and committed it to the cawe of the color bearer, three rousing cheens heing given tor the flaig.1 Mr. Suekpy made an interestinp: and eloquent address, in the courss of whicü ie spoke regiretfulljy of the faet that offices were too often oreated to give place to favoritos and that claques too oft-en controlled. Real patriotism vould not hesitate to sound the alarm before capital and machine politics became too íirmly entrenched. He gave a hlstory of the Harugari, which was organized in New York in 1847. Vow there are 37G lodgee and 22,418 members in this countrjr, with assets amounting tq $539,002. Last year !138,088 were paid out to, the sick, widows and arphaas. There are six odges tn Michigan with 264 members. Germania lodge was faunder in 1883 and now has 71 members. Sln&e its organization four me-mbers and the wives of three have died. He hoped tbat the flag Just dedicated would serve always to pemind them af their dutics ns adopted citüzens of this country. i The visitingr lodge from Detroit expreased much pleasure at the generous reception tendered them and with the speeches of the day. The Fourth ended winh a display of iireworks.