The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-10-24
HARTMAN WOULD BAR THEM.
Herman Republican Expresses His Views
On ths Candidates. Position.

Herman Republican Expresses His Views
or this Candidate's Position.
To The INDEPENDENT: II II IL srus that
sChas. 8. Hartman was tho author Of the
qualification spoken OF In yonr issue OF tins
l2lst. and that he supported the MEASURE in
. speech In the constitutional convention. /
do not think no will receive many intelli-
gent German or Scandinavian votes. This
clause was discussed among intelligent
Germans at the time of Its Introduction Ia
the constitutional convention. Ii means
that In tho opinion of Mr.. Hartman the in
~telligsnoe Of American citizenship 10 con-
fined TO the men who are able to read and
write the English language. Those who
read and write the EnRliah language do not
possess all Of the intelligence OF this
country. We have intelligent Ger
mans, intelligeqt Frenchmen. and
intelligent 50andiHaviaas whs San
read and write we'll in their native Ian
guages, md who are intelligent people. We
have to-day German newspapers published
throughout the United states, which dis
cuss public matters as intelliRsntly ~ do
newspapers published in the English Ian
Puage, and they are loyal, patriotic papers,
endeavoring 10 set before the minds OF their
Demonstrating constituency the best feat
| ures of American government. and seeking
so Undue the German speaking people with
q love for this country. We have papers
published in the scandinavian language.
which discuss public matters well, and
there are often papers published in the
United States in the French language. and
they discuss public matters. And yet Mr..
Hartman wishes to shut out from voting
all men who have not learned the
English language. AZ though all there WAS
about liberty was In the English l~anpauape.
" is hard on an honest German, Scandi-
Wan, Frenchman, or any other nationality.
rorninu IN thya CnuNtFv Mt the nue OF 40 or
30, to give his family the benefit OF Amer
loan institutions, TO learn the English
language so as to read and write it. 1t 10
almost impossible for them to do IT. They
have grown too old to learn. And vet Mt.
Hartman would have the intelligent Ger
man or scandinavian labor under disad-
vantages that Euglishmen and lrishmen
would enjoy because the English happens
to be the language of their country. Be-
sides, there are many intelligent Itlshmen
who come to this country who
who appreciate the spirit Of American
liberty. The danger to American instil u
tions to-day IL not from the men who can
not read n write; il is from the men who
do not feel the responsibilities that rest
upon them "a American citizens. When
YOU can find 600 or 700 voters that can be
purchased for the paltry sum Of $3 a piece.
every one of whom can read and write the
English language, there ia whore ths danger
lies. Our revolutionary sires weie not an
educated people, but they were lovers of
liberty, and wherevery you find a man i'm
bued with the principles Of liberty. he is a
patriot in this land of oul q, l cure not
whether he can read or write the English
language or not. The nihilists are usually
an eduoated class of people. Look at
the 3,O00,0 900 of negroes that were made cit
liens after the war: they could not read or
write, and yet Mr.. Hartman wanted to dis
franchise good Germans. French and Scan
dinavians in this state. Throughout Iowa,
Illinois and Ohio there are large German
settlements, and a general in the confsder-
ate army said that he saw more Germans on
the battlefields Of the south fighting for the
union. than any other nationality. These
men, when Ii came to the question as TO
whether this government should be pre-
served went out in thousands, some of them
before Mr.. Hartman WAS born. and now he
wants to prevent them from having q voice
in the government. 1t looks as if Mr..
Hartman wanted to let the forgers and tho
heightened crooks of this county vote, but
was opposed to let the honest poor people
cast q vote because they didn't know how to
write English. GERMAN REPUBLICAN.
Helena, Dot. %, 1892.