Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 255, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1916 — DEMAND BAKER QUIT; RESULT OF SPEECH [ARTICLE]

DEMAND BAKER QUIT; RESULT OF SPEECH

Eleven Women’s Patriotic Orders Also Ask WHson to Repudiate Remarks. Eleven women’s patriotic orders with headefuarters in Washington, Sunday demanded the resignation of Secretary of War Newton D. Baker on account of Bakerla_jecent speech, in which’he characterized the soldiers of the revolutionary war as comparable with the bandits of Mexico. Resolutions drawn up by these societies not only demanded Baker’3 resignation but demanded that President Wilson repudiate the statements made by Baker, who was campaignin'.: in the interests of the president at the time he made his remarks derogatory to t the revolutionary heroes. The societies which signed the resolution were: National Society of the Daughters of American Revolution: National Society of Children of the Revolution; Daughters of the Founders and Patriots: United States Daughters of 1812: Legion of Loyal Women : Women’s Relief Dames of the Loyal Legion: Xineal Society of tHi" Spanish War: Clara Barton Memorial Association: Ladies Union Veteran Legion; Society of the Army of Tennessee. The resolutions were:

“Whereas, Newton D. Baker, secretary of war in the cabinet of President Wilson, in making a political speech in defense of the Mexican .policy toi. the administration at Jersey City,__jffi—the; —night of Oct. 16, IM6, made the following comparison between the Mexican bandits supporting the various leaders in that country and the soldiers who fought the war for Amerioart independence in 1776, as ToTTorwsi “ ‘Some people say they cannot understand the president’s Mexican policy, and I want to tell you why. They have forgotten our own history and the declaration of independence, and the president has not forgotten either. Why are We impatient at the Mexicans? We say they do not respect the lives and property of our people. Perhaps they don’t. We say thev do not pay their honest debts. They don’t! We say they are a raggamuffin lot. We say their money is not any good. Thats true.It is only worth 2 or 3 cents on the dollar. We say they do not respect church property. That is also true._ “And, whereas, the above is a stenographic transcript of Mr. Baker s remarks and there can be no reasonable doubt as to the intention to characterize the patriots who followed Washington from Bunker Hill to Yorktown as thieves, church looters and disreputable characters generally; be if “Resolved, That w'e, officers of patriotic societies of women, with headquarters in the District of Columbia, do hereby demand the imediate resignation of Newton D. Baker as Secretary of war on the ground that a man of such amazing ignorance of history and so lacking in ideals is not a fit head for the army of the United States of America, and would tend to seriously injure its morals; and be it further

“Resolved, That we, the officers of said patriotic societies,' do hereby demaml that President Wilson repudiate this comparison of Mexican bandits with Washington’s continental armv, made by one of his cabinet ministers in defense of the president’s policy in Mexico: and he it further “Resolved, That as the utterances of such libelous and false statements in regard to the officers and men of the American revolution are unpatriotic and disloyal, and must be most pernicious in their effect upon the loyalty and patriotism of the youth of our nation, we therefore call upon every loyal and patriotic man and wrnnan in America to repudiate this odious comparison and unjust and untrue attack upon our forefathers, the founders of this republic and the declaration of independence.”