The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1895-06-29
Sailing the JackdaW's Tail.
From the Emmons County Record.

0C@AUAAAS OAAS ONSAuAW . xCb14s
From the Emmons County Record.
There WAS a young man by the name of
Murphy in the lower house of The. last leg
%islature. He is a very pleasant gentle
man; but not always consistent. He in
trOduced a resolution of some kind or
other to tho effect that SUFFRAGE should
be limited to those who could do a certain
amount Of leading in the English Ian
guage. We believe that he did not claim
originality for the idea, because he must
have known that the said idea was vener-
able in the extreme, and had been at one
time or another offered in every lagisla-
lave body in the United States.
Xxx
But ut the recent meeting in Fargo of
Catholic laymen the honorable Murphy
made n speech. In chat speech he not
only uttered some worry patriotic senti-
mekts, but he Glove very very close to the
truth when he said that The man whose
ancestors reached these shores in the May
flower is no better American than can be
the citizen who came here in person.
But the speech was 80 good that We give
the following extracts from it:
perhaps there is no other denomina.
ton within the confines of the common
wealth of North Dakota made up CT so
many divlrse and composite races as ours,
and, though you may have differed widely
IN stock, Ill languages and, customs. you
should now be Americans, first, last and
always. The man whose ancestors reached
these shores in the Mayfower is mo better
American th"n can be the citizen who
came here in person. He only Is to he
judged a good American who believe in
and asd supports American institutions.
You i'll this convention who arc of for
elgn birth came to this country for some.
thing else besides a change of monarchs.
You came here because old-world govern
ments. institutions and customs, did not
suit your ideas--did lot suit your cudcep-
ton of the duty of the duty .: man to his
fellow man."
*f*
The Record entirely agrees with the
above sentiments Of Major Murphy; but
We are unable to see why he should make
fish of one class of foreigners and fowl of
another. 1t is a matter of common
knowledge that the great mass of the En-
g'lsh-spsaking race outside of the United
States are, more than almost any other
class of aliens coming here, admirers of
the institutions of tho empire within
whose borders they were born. And they
have good reason to be, for the amiable
lady who rules over them is, moro than
any other monarch alive, entitled to their
love and respect. There is therefore, 10
reason to believe that English-speaking
~naturalized citizens fall in love with Am
erican institutions mole quickly than
those who speak other tongues.
Xxx
We can also agree with Major Murphy,
that, ii there were no means by which the
Germans, the Scandinavians and other
non English speaking citizens might &C.
quire knowledge of American institutions
and our governmental policy, it would be
dangerous to clothe them with the right
of suffrage. But is it not true that every
group of such foreign-born citizens has
numerous American publications in its
own language, which keep th.ir readers
we'll informed in everything pertaining to
the welfare of the whole body polite! An
abridgment of suffrage based On an un-
derstsnding of the English language
would deprive of political rights vast
numbers of men-s0me Of them old un.
ion soldiers-who are intensely loyal to
this country in thought and feeling.
***
Take the Germans: for instance. At
the beginning Of the war the writer lived
in a border slave State. The county was
probably three fourths rebel. The town
where the writer lived, was largely settled
by Germans. Every one of them was
loyal to the flag, and most of them enlist.
ed in the uniop army. The first Union
regiment that passed through the town on
its way to Fort Leavenwarth, was a reQi
ment (the 9th Wisconsin infantry as We re-
member lt) in which every man was u
German, and in which every command
was given in German. And We have an
overwhelming belief that the men of that
regiment, although many of them could
speak but little English, we're safe citi-
zens: