The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-04
SOME FOURTH OF JULY TESTS FROM
ABROAD.

the Cnlte0 states, mas Deem sent from
abroad at an opportune moment. 1t
furnishes the best imaginable tests for
Fourth Of July consideration and lays
bare the fundamental error which has
developed social and political disease and
disorder In our national commonwealth.
1t is of no particular moment for the
American patriot whether st. Raphaers
society is hostile TO Irish bishops, nor
does it cut much of figure that the
seat of tits society is the European con-
tinent and that its chief promoters are
subjects of the German empire. The
memorialists speak to the head of their
church simply as Roman Catholics and
it would be extremely unfair to impute
TO them any other motive than loyalty
to their church and q firm faith in its
right TO control the affairs of mankind.
But what does interest Americans-who
raise above the preludices Of race
or nationality and who con-
slider their nation as humanity's
grandeSt and most noble products the
position claimed for nationality not only
in the churCh-for that Is matter with
which none but the church itself IS con-
cerned-but also within the American
nation.
The memorial in defining what is
meant by ''AmericaniZing' says:
Nov. that constitution Gof the United
States recognizes the right of every
nationality of immigrants to retain its
religion, its language, its character and
the like
In this brief sentence is expressed the
whole of the error which like a fatal
cancer threatens our national life. The
constitution does not accord any right
whatsoever to any nationality, or sem
blance of a nationality; it has nothing to
DO with natlonalities or anything else
which claims the fealtv of man. All the
rights the constitution knows are the
rights of individuals. To be American
lied means to give up all nationality IN
favor of the American nation. Whoever
seeks to peTpetuate any natiOnallty-be
it English or Irish or German or Scandi-
navian or anything else but the Ameri-
can natiOn-under the guise of American
citizenship has not become Americanized
and is not loyal to the spirit nor to the
letter of the constitution.
This absolute denial of constitutional
rights to nationality does not imply,
however, the restriction of the rights of
individuals to ''retain whatever religion,
language, character or the like they
NAV have brought with them when com
ing to this country as immigrants. But
they may hold such rights only as indi-
viduals-aS American citizens, and not
as members of any particular nationality.
Let it be said in answer to all claims for
nationality sovereignty In the United
States-for that is the keynote Of the St.
RapEaers society's definition of Ameri-
canism-that there is no such thing as
an American nationality. There is only
an American nation which feeds on ma
tionalities and thrives wonderfully upon
weIl-digested and readily absorbed ma
tionalitv. Every attempt 10 maintain
nationality for its own sake and to claim
for it an authority and a constitutiOnally
established influence over the education
and development of American citizens
must be treated as identical with an at
tempt to erect alien governments with
in our borders.
There is another point in the memorial
worthy of serious thought: "Emigrants
who 90 to America in order 20 earn
their daily bread and not for the sake of
learning a new language This is a
very peruicious doctrine and is the very
thing which threatens to pervert our ma
ton from the sanctuary of humanity it
is intended to be into temple Of NAM
mon Immigrants who do not come to-
America to become Americans in the full
lest meaning of the term and who are
not willing to pronounce their nationality
or in other words. reliance upon any
national power excepting that Of the
United States-are no better than con
tract laborers and should be kept out Of
our country with all possible rigOr. OF
course immigrants come here to earn
their daily bread, but unless they are
willing to earn 1t as Americans, and not
as Irishmen, Englishmen, Germans,
Italians, etc, they make themselves
enemies of the American people, and if
they assume the outward form Of citizen
ship and vet maintain their alien char
acter they are perjurers and traitors
This may seem strong language, but
those upon whose ears 1t CRATES
would do well TO eximine
their heart Of hearts and see
whether they give their full and undi- |
vided allegiance to the United States. /
The saving Of the Founder of our civil |
cation, that no man can serve two mas !
ters. is true Of the United States.
For some reason or other the cable does /
not give the full text of that portion Of I
the memorial relating % the public |
school system. The abstract given says! /
The organization OF the public schools {
l. such as to lead to carelessnesS in church 4
duties Tins statement involves the
significant admission that "the church
considers the organization Of tie public
schools as hostile 10 itself, for whatever
leads 10 carelessness 10 duty Is hostile 70
that which claims the duty. 10 would
naturally follow that the church, as an
organization founded upon the perform
ance of duty. is b. the Law Of se!f-preser-
walton forced into hostility toward the
public school organization. This raises
the question whether an organization
which. az such, is hostile % an American
institution If such vital and organic
importance a. the public school sys-
TEN. can be considered an Orcauiza-
ton lOvaI 70 the United States
II can not be denied that sooner or
later conflict must sriae between an
organization which charges the public
school with being a danger - It's ex ~
tencs and the OTganiz8tiou-that IS, tbs
nation-which stands behind the public
school
While pointing to this undeniabIs ten
deucy Of tie relations between our I
nation and the church the loyal
American citizen viii ever be inspired
BY the hope that this nStiou-ths bui- I
wark Of religious liberty for sll-wiil 4
come cut victorious m any struggle with
an organization which. OF account u ia
purely religious nature, ra0st ever BE-
srravej against power giving and I
equal religious liberty and 4