Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-09-24
HES A FOREIGNER"
Leading Citizens Resent the News
Insults to German-Americans.

Leading Citizens Resent the News
Insults to German-Americans.
To the Editor of TmE BKFLECroR.
DEAR SIR.-In looking over the
Dickinson County News this evening
1 see a number of insulting slurs and
insinuations against one of the repub-
lican candidates, Mr.. James Frey,
upon the ground that he is a foreign
er and charging that he cannot speak
the English language as smoothly as
the ''tar-heel'' democrat who has sold
all the little spark of political manhood
which he ever possessed to the peoples
party. IWant to say to your readers
that Mr.. Frey is German American
and as honorable and upright an
American citizen as. can be found in
this county. He can speak Eng
lish well enough to do any business
within the gift of the people. His
speech is little broken but he always
''gets there" just as he is going to do
in November. But these base insinu-
ations of the News are only so much
political claptrap intended to arouse a
feeling against the German-American
element of our county, whom the
republicans justly recognized by plac-
ing one of that nationality on their
ticket. But l think the News has
made a great blunder. 1t does not
know the German-American element
of this county very we'll and instead of
creating prejudice against Mr.. Frey
because he happens to be born across
the water it has grossly insulted every
German American in the county and
aroused the sympathy of all other
classes of our citizens who believe in
giving all honest men fair chance,
without regard to their nationality.
do not believe that such epithets
as, ''Oh, he is a foreigner, imported
into this country" "He is German
with a wonderful big head for his
body" and ''It contains just brains
enough to say that he does not propose
to leave the republican party now" and
many others like these are going to
make any votes for Mr.. Nichols in
whose interest the News has taken
upon itself to assail the Germans of
this county.
And l want to say further, Mr..
Editor, that am German-American
myself and l think ! have right to
say a word in favor of this class of our
citiZers.
There is no nation in the world more
loyal than the German, and when The
Germans leave their own Fatherland
and become citizens of these United
States they throw away all afiliatiOn
and allegiance and become American
citizens. in every sense of the word,
and when they come before the people
with a candidate for any office, they
are willing to accept his election or
defeat considered only from stand
point of his qualifications, the princi-
Piles. he represents and his Americanism
and not as representative of any
nation, but as a plain American citizen
of either the republican or democratic
party. The writer, German-Ameri-
can, and his countrymen, always proud
of the success and elevation of one of
his people, are not to De influenced by
a malicious intention on the part OF
democratic-alliance newspaper into
forgetting principles higher than the
mere recognition of particular ma
tionality, and when we throw off our
allegiance to the countries of our birth
and become naturalized and adopted
citizens of the United States, we are
all good Americans, whether of Ger
man, Irish, English or any other
country or extraction; and join as
heartily in crying America for Ameri-
cans as any native born, and are satls-
fed and proud of the plain name of an
American citizen without any prefix.
The candidates named by our conven-
tion were the choice of the majority
and were named harmoniously and
without dictation, which is more than
can be said of any ticket which is now
or that will be placed in the race
against them. One who, although he
is foreigner" aid a German" is
proud to be called
AN AMERICAN CTTIZES,
G. HOFFMAN.
Enterprise, Sept. is, 1891,
We heartily endorse the foregoing
letter of Mr.. Hoffman.
J. F. BUHRER,