The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-19
100 MUCH HYPHEN.
The Use Of This Particular Punctuation
Mark Is Not Objectionable 10 Business
and Social Life, but II Is In Politics.
From the Washington Post.

rTOm tue W NdsHIHstuU iOSt
The hyphen Is a venerable and gen.
orally useful device. Its advent was
simultaneous with that OF writing. The
invention Of printing vastly extended
the area Of Its usefulness, and the cod
ceits, fashions, and fads OF civllized peo-
pies have continually multiplied its OPP
pOrtunities. In the nomenclature Of
newspapers the hyphen plays = star
part. When two journals In the same
town grow weary Of competition the
hyphen unites them In q union 10 close
that the identity Of each is lost In the
other like two streams that have met
in their winding way and blended into
one. Instead of the Daily Eagle and
the Morning Call. each warning against
Its hated rival. the Eagle-Call appears
as the happy product Of hyphenation.
Peace reigns. the paper prospers. and
the town Is gamer by the change.
And It often happens that when one
newspaper has struggled along In ad-
versity until hope is beginning to SUBJ
side into despair, more fortunate con-
temporary throws out hyphen. like q
rope to a sinking boat.
III Tic HoIlSiCIutuTe VI ldHlllleSs tOOs
hyphenation is playing great part.
The descendants OF the Smiths and
Browns are put on higher social plane
than that to which their progenitors
attained by hyDhenation and little
ingenuity in orthography. When Mrs.
Smythe-Brown, In her elegant silver
trimmed carriage with crested doors,
with liveried coachman and footman
years ago? This use of the hyphen. al
though possibly less beneficent than it's
employment In newspaper nomencla-
ture. is not in the least Objectionable.
on the box, rolls along Connecticut ave-
nue., who. among the oldest Inhabitants
remembers, or cares'to remember, Smith
the butcher, or Brown the tanner of fifty
1t harms no one, and 1t does a positive
good by promoting happiness Of fam
lilies.
ONE BAD SPECIMEN. ~
But there is one species Of hyphena-
tion which is not to be commended,
and which. 1t is hoped, will, at no distant
day, so into desuetude and be permitted
to abide there. We do not like the
hyphenated American in politics., All
the citizens Of the United States, no
matter where they were born or whence
they came, are Americans. All have
equal rights, common interests. and
common duties. There Is but one office
under our government from which nat
uralized citizens are excluded. Men
who were born in Europe have borne
their part in shaping the destiny Of the
ranI1b1to n nd cbo
the most remarkable fact in our ma
tional history is the blending Of ma
tionalities into a great and strong ma
tion.
But now, as heretofore, there Is a
strong inclination in various quarters to
run politics on lines of foreign nationali-
ties. 1t happens that we have cur
rency issue in politics--a great and ex-
citing issue. But what Is there In this
situation to appeal to any national SEN
timent other than America? We see
that German American Sound Money
league has been organized in New York.
Its Immediate purpose" Is announced
to be the ascertainment OF the views Of
the German Americans in the United
States on the currency question. In q
circular letter the president Of the
league declares his belief that this class
Of citizens Is overwhelmingly In favor Of
the gold standard, and in order to OBJ
tain proof of this. expressions Of opin-
ion are asked from American
citizens in all parts OF the country.
The league favors neither the Republi-
can nor the Democratic party, but, to
quote the circular, realizing the ruin
GUS consequences which will inevitably
follow from free coinage of silver, 1t
simply desires 20 do its share in secur-
ing the maintenance Of the gold stand
ard"
Can there be any necessity for this
sort Of hyphenation? Cannot all Ameri-
cans who believe in the gold standard
work together as Americans? Are we
to have Anglo-American, Irish-Ameri-
can, German American, Austro-Amerl-
can. Russo-American. and the balance
Of the list of hyphenations all showing
up In the campaign OF 1896? This issue
does not affect mans interests any
more or any less by reason of his place
of birth. Citizens who came from Eu-
rope have just the same interests at
stake in a currency question as citizens
whose ancestors came over in the May
flower. Is 1t not time for all the varied
nationalities in the United States to
consider the proprietyan expediency Of
dropping the hyphen in politics? The
name American is long enough and good
enough for all of us.
-
As PrCcautiOn.
Mrs. Newed-"We will have to have q