The Czech National Alliance and the National Alliance of Czech Catholics are finally united into one body. The moment for this action was deliberately selected for the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the proclamation of Independence of the United States. The significance of this day alone compels us to give expression by these lines of our extreme joy over the final unification of these two great organizations. The Czech nation is united again as far as national aims are concerned, at least. From the individual, as well as from this combination of two organizations, much fruitful work may be expected. We who live here and our fellow-countrymen in the old homeland, being in extreme need of our help, will profit by it.

There certainly is no one of us who could undervalue the work accomplished by the Czech National Alliance, he, who would, must be motivated by malice. We have known both organizations for a long time to be hard workers in our beautiful and great national movement. They went ahead despite many obstacles; they have always been ready to continue their activities, asking for nothing more than good will and co-operation from the Czech public. We are well aware of the fact that the Czech National Alliance was the first to stir our national conscience from indifference, that conscience which had been dormant heretofore, and not awake to the sublime interests which bind us to our old homeland. The Czech National Alliance called our attention to the seriousness of these times in which the existence of our nation is at stake, and also to the hope that the sequence of events may be able to return liberty and independence to the Czech people, the object of our fight of more than three hundred years' duration. The Czech National Alliance developed and grew into great dimensions through the merits of a protagonist of Czech liberty and independence--Prof. Thomas G. Masaryk, who became the well-chosen leader 3of Czech foreign affairs after many sacrifices and reverses, yet with exalted sentiment, the Czech National Alliance plunged into work, which will never be forgotten by the old homeland. Czech history is going to write about its activities, but only commensurate with its merits.

.... This organization filled the arteries of the nation with fresh blood which circulates in the body of the Czech-American branch, and is rejuvenated by the transfusion and strengthened in its national convictions. We have learned with immense gratification of this rejuvenation taking place in every corner of the United States. We counted with great joy the newly added branches of this organization.....

The Czech National Alliance was not the only one to work in the movement for the liberation of the old homeland. The National Alliance of Czech Catholics, though created later, joined the movement with no less enthusiasm and devotion, so that the Czech national movement gained greatly in momentum, and expanded into all ranks of the Czech Americans.

Everybody was eager to see the two great organizations consolidated.....Yet the longed for unification did not materialize. Why? There were trifles which impede our action frequently. Many of our fellow-countrymen had recognized the urgent necessity of concerted action, they rose, and the combination became a fact.

Be it well marked that it was the Catholic organization which extended hands first. This was done in the memorable meeting held in the Pilsen Brewery Park late in the spring of this year. The official merger was completed not until last Fourth of July. Representatives of both organizations met on that day, and promised to each other to work together along common lines only.

A union among the Czech-American people has thus been realized, and we whole-heartedly wish that it may be permanent. We have been wasting too much time in purposeless quarrels about religion and creed. We were 5forgetting that the aim of morality of the highest order is to create in us the desire to be good and straightforward, and also to make us Czechs remain proud of our descent, whether native American or immigrant. Further, why could not a good Catholic be a good Czech at the same time, and vice versa?....

We hail the harmony attained between the two organizations, and proclaim that it justifies our fond hopes for the early liberation of our old homeland.