“But that’s not the point,” said Hamilton. “You say Catholics influenced the national campaign. That’s an insinuation. You don’t say how they influenced it. Everybody knows that many Irish Catholics are Democrats and that naturally they voted for Wilson, just as the South naturally, for historic reasons, always votes Democratic; but you infer that the influence was dishonorable. And what’s the disgrace about a Roman Catholic being the President’s secretary? He had to be a Protestant or a Catholic.”
“No, there’s no disgrace, only the next fact shows that over 70 per cent of all President Wilson’s appointments were Catholic.”
“I don’t believe it! What’s the authority?”
Freeman puzzled over the word.
“L-U-T-H—Lutherische, I can’t pronounce it. Some German name.”
“Some old war propaganda, I see. On the face of it would you go to a German authority for anything about Wilson’s war administration?”
Freeman laughed.
“Hell, no! In fact, I didn’t know where The Beacon got this stuff when I picked it up or I wouldn’t bother to read it. Nope, there’s nothing pro-Heinie about me.” He threw the paper into a waste basket. “Now, Mr. Hamilton,” he turned in his swivel chair and leaned forward, “I’m just as sincere about this thing as you are. I wouldn’t tell any one a lie knowingly. If I had noticed the source of that article I wouldn’t have read it to you. But the Tribe has a definite object as I told you. It’s against the Catholic, the Jew, the alien and the Negro, because these four classes are incompatible with the Tribe’s ideas of pure Americanism—none of these classes can be truly American in every sense of the word. Now we know that, and, in trying to convert members, we naturally wish to convince them by arguments. The Beacon is a magazine which carries a lot of stuff against these four classes and so we frequently distribute it. But, as far as I am concerned, and I am sure as every good Tribesman is concerned, we do not mean to disseminate falsehoods. If you see an article that strikes you as inaccurate in The Beacon, don’t use it. In fact, write to the editor about it. I’m sure he would be glad to be corrected. You know how it is. Any one is liable to make a mistake.”
“Well, maybe, but just a minute.” Hamilton pulled The Beacon out of the waste-basket and glanced over it.
“Well, here we say that the German-Jewish bankers started the war.”