El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-17
Why a Hyphenated Citizenship

| "But, as has been so often asked
Why German-Americans? Why Irish
Americans? Why q hyphenated citi.
zenship of any kind? Why not simply
Americans all. bearing undivided al
legiance to the government and con.
sidering only the best interests of the
manufacturing Star March
Because, my dear "Star," writes W.
D. Windsor in the Washington Star,
the Anglo-American fraction of our
people has been of late SO arrogant and
noisy in its demands; because in nu-
merous editorials the victories won by
the valor of German-Americans, Irish
Americans, French and Italian-Ameri-
caus, as well as Anglo-Americans have
been calmly put down to TIE credit of
the Anglo-Saxon race; because we have
heard the flag which we have suppos-
ed stood for Americans of all breeds
called by United States senator 1.-THE
Anglo-Saxon flag" whatever that may
mean; because the progress made by the
brain and Drawn of all the races that
have from the beginning made the
force OF our country has been attribut-
ed to the exclusive glory of the Anglo,
Saxon; because the APPROXIMATIONS
in the expression of their devotion to
the country of their origin, have ore
sumed to speak in the name of the
whole body of our people, by most of
whom that country is regarded with
or aversion; because this small
but voluble faction has been so far suc-
cessful in its efforts to make the name
synonymous with Anglo
Saxon that our countrymen are begin
ming to be ashamed to be called Ameri
cans and are taking refuge In hyphena-
ton in self defense.
1t is undoubtedly true-and the fact
10 full of encouragement for the ven
doris of gold bricks and green goods
that some OF our people believe Eng
and to have unselfshly interviewed in
Dur behalf during the late war, and
when this is demonstrated On some bet !
Ter authority than has yet appeared, a |
proper sense of gratitude, though |
mingled with surprise, will be elected |
rom all Americans of whatever race. |
But even this will not reconcile the av-
,rage American to the name of Anglo
saxon.
Since the success of our arms turned
he tide of English feeling in our favor
We have heard with tiresome iteration
he statement that "blood IL thicker
han water" the implication always
icing that racial sympathies do and
hould take precedence of every other
lie that binds men together. In ma
ion like ours, made up of all the races
f Europe, to say nothing of Africa,
his doctrine is about as dangerous q
ne as could be devised by our worst
nemy if 1t were meant to be taken
eriously or given general applica-
ION. But, of course, everybody knows
hat it is not SO meant. We all I'M
erstand that in only one strain of :
lood among the many that go to make
p our population is this quality of Wis
idity supposed to be desira BILE, and that
he maxim is intended to read "Eng-
sh blood is thicker than WATERFALL
Their kinds must be acknowledged to
3 thinner under penalty of being
alled un-American. II the Anglo
merican will kindly forego his claim g
} be the only real American and will !
Ease his efforts to force his own tradi-
ons and sympathies upon his country /
en-, we will hear no more of the other
yphenated sorts. But if we are to &C Z
,pt his view that we are not nation, C
1T kind of colony owing affectionate 7
legiance to Europe, let US by all I
cans organize along the lines of our I
.cial predictions and be true to all j
le various branches of our ancestry, t
)t to one only. r