We would throw him out if we had the
chance, but we are extending the invitation to you on behalf of
750,000 men from Illinois and we do not feel that you are going to
impugn their patriotism, that you are going to insult them by saying
they are members of an unpatriotic community."
MR. HAWKINS (of Oklahoma): "The great State of Illinois stands
unchallenged in the patriotism of its soldiers throughout the world. I
am only sorry that you didn't leave enough patriots at home to elect a
patriotic mayor of that great city. You are in the embarrassing
position of having a man who has repudiated the things we went out to
die for. Either you have got to repudiate us or repudiate him."
"We'll repudiate him next time when the boys get home," shouted
several of the Illinois crowd.
Then other speakers tried to make it plain that the Legion's attack
was solely against the municipal head of Chicago, but some of the men
of Illinois let the incident rankle. How it came out (and it was ended
happily) will develop. Meantime the attention of the caucus was
diverted from the Chicago incident by the manifestation of that desire
which is in every true American's heart, namely to be a booster for
his own home town. In less time than it takes to tell it, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, Atlantic City, St.
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