The Daily Texarkanian. [volume] (Texarkana, Ark.) 1894-1906, 1894-08-18
NO HYPHEN FOR HIM.
A Native German Who, Since His
Adoption, Declares Himself Dis
tinctly American.

VI InC OullCu DldISS3 uSOlllOo hlli-
self distinctively an American, will
awake an echo of approval in every
patriotic breast. These views as
personally expressed, are given as
follows:
AT the recent annual gathering
of the Turner's of Western New
York, at Dolgeville, a very notable
address was made by Mr. Alfred
Dodge, prominent in that part of
New York state, which contains
most practical and patriotic sug-
gestions to other American citizens
of alien birth, besides those of Ger
man birth or descent.
At the gathering of the Turner's
all the flags which waved in the
town of Dolgeville we're American
flags, Mr.. Dodge, in his address,
deplored the idea that Germans
coming to this country should en-
deavor to perpetuate dtstinctively
German things and emphatically
favored the rapid assimilation of
things American. Noticeable re-
marks of Mr.. Dolges' address were
these:
"Quite discussion has been go
ing on of late in German-American
papers and periodicals as to the
future of Germans in America
There is no future for Germans, as
Germans, in America. Every Ger
man who acquires the privilege of
becoming a citizen of this republic
must become an American, and if
he prefers to call himself a German
Affierican, the accent should al
ways be on the American. He is
a German by accident, and has be-
come an American by choice.
While there is no future for Ger
mans, as such, in this country,
there is a great future for German
culture, German thoughts, German
sociability in America,
ut is the privilege of the Ger
man-American organizations, such
as turner's and singing societies, to
make propaganda for whatever
may be preferable in German civil
cation and culture.
"On occasions like the present
we are accustomed to hear great
deal of the Culture Mission Of the
Germans in America, and fulsome
praise is spent, which would lead
animated Germans to believe that
all Americans ought to be and must
be 'Germanized' in order to make
living here tolerable. Various
efforts have been made to form
German colonies and here and
there you find settlements so purely
German that the store keepers
hang out a sign, English spoken
here Especially in the western
states do we find such German,
Swedish and Bohemian settlements,
but in none of them will you find
any signs Of progress. They invar-
iably end in failure, unless by the
infusion of new blood the dominat-
ing clannishness is destroyed, so
that broader ideas can take root
and liberation begin to reign. When
this takes place, we notice the first
signs of Americanism. The public
schools open, and sectarian schools
begin to lose ground,
Evidently Mr.. Dodge believes that
the German-American, the Swed-
ish-American, the Irish-American
business has been judiciously over
done. SO it has been. There ought
to be no future for Germans, Nor
wegians, Swedes, Frenchmen, Eng
lishmen and Swiss in this country
as such nationalities. We want all
that these people have to add Of
culture, of the spirit of work and
achievement, of love of republican
institutions, of integrity and up
rightness, of every quality which
makes good citizen. But when
such worthy people come among US
to make their home with us, theil
future is the common future Of
American, not German-American
Swedish-American or other hyphen
ated future, ond the sooner they
grow into American ways of think
ing and acting and talking and be-
lieving, the better for them an(
the country,