The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-01
GERMANS AND IMPERIALISM.

1t is a well known fact that almost
every American citizen OF German
birth is opposed to a policy of imperial
ism. He knows the tyranny OF such
a government. He can understand the
danger of its drift far better than one
can who never experienced it. The
chances are he came to this country to
avoid it.
An eastern paper called attention the
other day to this fact, and, by way OF
Illustration, referred to an expression
| of the German-sp speaking people of WIS
consin. These are not unlike the Ger
mans to be found in every section Of
the United States. Their experiences
with forms of government have been
similar. They know what militarism
and imperialism mean, and, knowing,
are opposed to such policies. They
know that wars of conquest and the
subjugation of distant archipelagoes
already densely populated, cannot be
accomplished without large standing
army, the maintenance of garrisons,
and occasional clashes with other pow
ers And for these reasons American
citizens of German birth oppose i'm
perialism.
But what ere the reasons assigned b.
local contemporary for the opinions
they entertain and the views they ex-
press? 1t does not matter that the
northwest was picked out because of
the special reference of the eastern
paper If it applies to the Germans Of
those progressive states, it applies to
every German in the United States, and
it was evidently the intention to at
tack every German in this country who
claims the American privilege of OPP
posing policies of the administra ton
which he believes to be dangerous to
the republic.
Referring to the Germans of the
northwest, the Tribune said:
They are not Americans in fact They
all vote one ticket They all vote as some
special big, man born in their country
dictates. They get all their impress! ons
from that class of German newspapers
that follow the lead of Carl Schurz, and
they do not represent the average Ger
fnan-AnIerican in any respect. They have
not vet taken on any conception of the
spirit OF free institutions. They only
know that whereas they came here poor
and obtained large tracts of glorious land
cheaply, they are making more money
than they ever dreamed of making
through all their childhood. and they
want to be let alone. A little city ordi-
nance TO compel them to go slow on
their beer-drinkinS picnics on Sunday IS
sufficient to make them all vote in
body against the party to which the
men belong, which passed the ordl-
nance. Their sons and daughters VIII
eventually grow up to be good Amerl-
cans but they are simply Germans and
ii is a mistake 10 cali them German
Americans 1t would take as long TO
make real Americans out of them as
they are situated, as it would 10 make
them outgrow taste for yiennavursts,
sauerkraut and lager beer.
And the German in Utah who has
forgotten so much of the lesson of i'm
perialism that he refused to take
scoring like that in silence, lis an ass,
says the local dictator and imperialist.
What is the matter with the organ that
it maligns communities and nationali-
ties. and then abuses them for not lik-
ing it2 For paper that pirates so
much about Americanism, it keeps very
little OF that virtue in stock.