The Secretary now takes up the American flag.  He and the Indian hold it together.

“I give into your hands the flag of your country.  This is the only flag you ever will have.  It is the flag of free men, the flag of a hundred million free men and women, of whom you are now one.  That flag has a request to make of you, Joseph T. Cook, that you repeat these words.”

Cook then repeats the following after the Secretary.

“Forasmuch as the President has said that I am worthy to be a citizen of the United States, I now promise this flag that I will give my hands, my head, and my heart to the doing of all that will make me a true American citizen.”

The Secretary then takes a badge upon which is the American eagle, with the national colors, and, pinning it upon the Indian’s breast, speaks as follows:—­

“And now, beneath this flag, I place upon your breast the emblem of citizenship.  Wear this badge always, and may the eagle that is on it never see you do aught of which the flag will not be proud.”

TO FREDERIC J. LANE

Washington, June 6, 1916

My dear Fritz,—­We have a letter from Mary this morning saying you are holding your own pretty well, which is mighty good news, and that Abrams is still convinced that he is right, which is also good news.  By the same mail I learn that Hugo Asher was hit by a train and nearly killed.  Whether he will recover or not is a question.  Asher is a most lovable fellow and loyal to the core.  It would break my heart to have him go.  I got into my fight with Hearst over Asher.  His people demanded that I should fire Asher, and I refused to do it.

I guess you are beaten on Roosevelt, old man.  The word that we get here is that he is done for at Chicago.  Of course before this gets to you the nomination will be made.  My own thought has been that he laid too much stress on the support of big business.  To have Gary, and Armour, and Perkins as your chief boomers doesn’t make you very popular in Kansas and Iowa.  Hughes may be the easiest man to beat, after all, because he vetoed the Income tax amendment in New York, a two-cent fare bill, and other things which are pretty popular.  He is a good man, honest and fine, but not a liberal.  The whole Congressional push has been for Hughes for months, but I haven’t believed that he would accept the nomination.  I made the prophesy to some newspaper men the other day that Roosevelt would get in and endorse Hughes with both fists.  They were inclined to doubt this, but I still believe that I am right. ...