The state capital., 1892-11-05
Alt~eld.s "Knownothingism" Re-
buked.

MKnownothingism Re-
buked.
w z. Wiemers, German-Amer1can
LAWYER Of Chicago, has written an open
letter to Altgeld, which may be rated
among the best political literature OF
the campaign. Additional pungency
Is given to this document, because OF
the fact that Mr.. Wiemers is neither an
Office holder or Office seeker.
n the article from which we can
only use extracts-for want OF space
he says:
sThere was q secret society-the know
nothin rs-formed forty years ago, Dut its
speedy extinction showed that II had no noio
upon the American people. You aro NO"
straining every nerve to arouse among Ger-
man-Americans similar spirit, because you
claim. mistakenly. think, to have found upon
4 count Of noses, that you will gain votes Dy
having that un-American spirit revived DOM
among natives and foreign-born :,
ssYou assume that German Americans .snouio
constitute political class In the United States-
Won have wantonly and extensively drawn the
1ine OF nativity and race here In Illinois 10
Won think YOU befr.end German-Americans py
thus introducing system Of German KNOW
nothinQism" into American politics to serve
your personal endsf
"You have In this campaign denounced Amer
tean-born republicans as snat1y1stS; you nave
tntsmated more than once that your election de-
nends entirely upon the votes OF German-Amer
fcans and have stated in substance, NOT In
terrns. that you are politically independent OF
native-born voters. You exh0rted your sup
porters In your secret convass to attend 10 tne
naturalization OF the Germans and you wouio
taEe care of the rest In your Joliet speech
ycu went further and said In substance that the
older stock OF Americans, and the race to Wnicn
they belong, can point to no great work &C
complished' You have practically asserteo
that the Anglo-Saxon race, though really OF the
aame German blood as ourselves, is discreolteo
nv hiatorv and that the modern German alone
IL to receive credit for the important results
wrought out here in America"
Then he raises the cuticle on Altgelds
physiognomy in the following style:
"Even If German-Americans could be led into
the folly OF setting up candidate upon the ais
tinct ground Of his German nationality recenl
disclosures in connection with your record,
am SORRY to say, render 1t very uoaDuu
whether you are such a man as they couio al
ford to select They would want q man ABOVE
even the suspicion OF corruption; ana sinc'
your transactions at Springfield In lne sena
torial contest of 1891 have been brought 10 nSn
German Americans as class can scarcely al
ford to submit themselves to such questlonaDl
leadership as yours So far from trying 10 al
our people. you seem TO me to be AFRAID ina
native Americans will not undervalue ana os
tracize our citizens Of German birth, SO 70
may avail yourself OF the resulting d1sconten
for political purposes. In your capaclty oi
professional German-American you long Jus
now to be kicked and cuffed so you may 81
hibit the bruises and scars on the stump"
While Altgeld himself Is too narroN
and selfish to benefit by this wholesom
1a%+a,. ;ts effects will not be lost on tn
German OF the state, Wn
are among our best people, and neve
lack recognition.