Omaha daily bee., 1897-07-26
GEuMANIsM ~ AMERICA.
Assimilation and Competition Cause
ANXIETY to Imperial Government.

AnNtcty tO Imperial Government.
Philadelphia Record
by the census Of 1890 there were 2,7S4 S94
persons OF German birth residing in the
United Ststes In the five succeeding years
there came 4O2 600.more from the fatherland
and there are now probably living about g.
/, 100000 persons OF German birth in this
country-to say nothing OF twice as many
more who. though OF native birth have had
one or both parents OF German nativity. This
constitutes a population OF German birth
% per cent more than the inhabitants of the
kingdom OF Wurtemberg, and nearly as great
as the population OF SaXony. 1t has recently
become source Of anxiety TO the imperial
government that these immigrants have
their Gcrmauism eventually cftaccd by as
stimulation, so that they contribute no longer
to the gTandeur aud puissance of their race
Worse stil, their industry builds up com
petition with the empire and thus tuuds to
weaken 1t. such are the complaints pub
ltcly made by the imperial government in
the Reichstag. Are they justihable?
II Is true that one of the most remarkable
phenomena OF modern history is the assm-
Hating power of the United States upon i'm
migrants. No racc-unlcss IL be the Asiatics
and the Indians whom the government OF
the land refuses to incorporate into ito cit-
zenship-escapes this influence II one
shall inquire into the matter one will find
uncounted families in which the foreign
born parents speak their native tongue and
the children understand and Use it colo
quiaily at home, but will not learn to read
II or employ 1t even among their mates
OF the same extraction. The parents will
tell us that the children greatly dislike to
show any sign OF their foreign origin. They
wish to be Americans completely, and as
soon as possible and family pride is help
less before this youthful passion.
Of all European races that have settled
on our soil the German is most tenacious of
his language ana customs The deacpndants
of the Palatine people whom Penn brought
to the eastern valleys of Pennsylvania still
speak after POO years, a dialect not greatly
warped from the patois which their anCes-
tors used in the Rhenish provinces. Many of
them to this day do not understand or use
English. They preserve unchanged the re-
Iigtous organization which their forbcars
brought hither, listen to sermons in Penn
sylvania Dutch and intermarry like Israel
ties. There are also large branches of the
Lutheran and Evangelical churches in
which services in the German language are
carried on and paroChal schools maintained
in order that children may be instructed in
that tongue. In some sections of the coun-
try, as in parts of Missouri and Wisconsin,
German influence piepunderates and in the
latter state few years ago a bitter con
test was waged to secure German instruction
by German teachers in the public echools
patronized chiefly by persons of that race
Notwithstanding this fidelity to their
speech and the obvious adherence of our
German population to their old country cue
toms, it is but a question of time ere the
descendants of these people will cease to use
the language of the fatherand as their
vernacular. Although they are more numer-
Gus in the United States than foreigners
of any other origin, exceeding the Irish by
100000, they cannot las perhaps they do
not desire to) resist the assimiating processes
SO vigorous in the land. But that fact would
by no means indicate that their native land
will suffer any detriment from their pres
ence here. Indeed, our trade with Germany
is rapidly expanding. In the fiscal year
ended in 1896 it amounted to $3.50 900 900, or
one-eighth of all our exports and imports.
and was only surpassed by our trade with
Great Britain. 1t exceeded our trade with
France and Spain and Italy combined by
S22 900 900, and was twice great as that
with Belgium and the Netherlands. 1t had
increased 40 per cent in six years. This is
due in no small measure to the representa-
ton in this country of German industries
and the demand of our German population
for goods made IN their own country. So, in
stead of setting up competition adverse
to German trade. the statistics show that
this element of our population is opening
new markets for the old country. More
over. the Germans abroad are making large
investments in America and in shipping fa-
cilities TO this country. Rapid has been
the growth of the business ties that bind the
two countries-and this despite the efforts
!
by putting arbitrary restrictions upon our
exports of food.
OF more moment is the moral and social
influence of our German population upon
America. They constitute an i,npOrtans pGit-
icsl factor in our contests, and their vote ear
hift the great states Of Illinois, Iowa. Michi-
gan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvc MIA
and Wisconsin from one party TO aLother
They are energetic in public duties and have
been prcminant IN legislatures and
armies. Says a recent writer 1T is actu-
ally true that the German influence as been
able to affect most radically the American
methods and theory IF education. and set
its mark upon our social ami political hill
osophy" Ii has displaced the French in
popular estimation. end made us familiar
with German literature. Il has accomplished
deep ethnic change in our character sym
pathiss and ideals. This sort of change will
remain, even IL he German language shall
cease to be 4 verha:u!lr here. Blood is
knitting the two ;)unries iogether in a
way that philosophers and statesmen would
nail as providing the hrmes- londs of amity
and interest Germanlsm may disappear. but
two great nations will he stronger and bet
ter fer the process We are going through.