The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-31
So AMERICANS"

4
seem to be Just now disturbed by con-
sideration OF the problem OF whether 1t is
| of more interest to them as race" to
vote for Democrats or vote for Republi-
cans. Some OF them want recognition, +"
and some OF them claim that the political
party with which they seem naturally to
| have affiliated neglects to recognize them.
Our fellow citizens from Sweden have,
we believe, upon throwing of allegiance
TO King OSCAR, and assuming the rights
and responsibilities Of American citizen
ship, been strongly disposed to Republi-
canism as embodying their preferences in
things political. Our German Ameri-
can" fellow citizens are also disposed that
way. So are, we believe, tie "Italian-
Americans, the "British- Americans, Z"
the handful OF "Armenian-Americ }"
and spanish Americans" and "Russo-
Americans On the other hand, il is
generally assumed that our ish-Ameri-
can and our French Canadian fellow
citizens have, for the most part, taken up
more cordially with the Democratic
party.
We confess, however, that we don't like
the disposition 10 race classification and
clannishness in politics ON the part of
some of our hyphenated American citi-
zens. Its existence is evidence that the
process of assimilation, the Americanizing
OF our foreign-born population, is not
complete. That does not mean that such
| fellow-citizens who maintain race clas-
sifcation from political, religious or
other purpose, may not be good citizens,
for, as to that, some of our native born
that serves the physical function OF
blood. But so long as any OF our hyphen'
ated American citizens demand recognition
on the ground Of the word that precedes
the byphen and are ready to serve any po'
litical leader who grants them such rec
ognition those fellow w-citizens have good
ways to travel before they can be said to
be Americans, for all the evidence oi
their naturalization papers. The spirit
OF ciannishness, m oreover, is not likely to
be Of any real advantage to the natural.
lied citizen who allows his political mo-
tives to to be controlled by 1t, for he 1,
likely to become only tool tor the polit'
ical operations of some of the more selfish,
| il smarter men OF his own race who seek
only to advance themselves through ap'
pealing to race prejudice.
We are not disposed to pessimism In re.
garding a condition like this. The wrong
OF 1t and the evils arising from 1t are, af.
ter all, only temporary. The process o: as.
similation 10 going on all the time,
though some nationslit,es may seem tc
more stubbornly resist complete absorp.
tion than others. But that absorption
will be finally complete is sure enough
thing to the minds of every body who be-
lieves in the overwhelming influence OF
American institutions and the all-pervad.
ing and conquering power of the spirit OF
republican Americanism. We were neatly
ali OF us "foreign born," hardly more
than hundred years ago. Already we
see our German American" fellow-citi-
zens so thoroughly Americanized in most
Of the communities that there is no
race issue with them, and the American
republic has more Of their real as well as
their assumed loyalty than the fatherland
Our "Irish-American" fellow-citizens can
no longer be counted upon to be moved
as a mass, and within years so few that
the youngest OF us may review them, we
have seen the "Irish vote" pass out Of the
range Of political problems for Irishmen
and the sons OF Irishmen are pretty thor
ougbly imbued with Americanism, and
in the older communities are as prone to