The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-18
HYpHENATED AMERIoANIsM.
Some Able Reflections on the "Fad"
BY an Authority.


Louisville courier-Journal pem).
The excuses to which the Boere' par
tisans in this country are going find
daily publicity in the press One Of
the latest Illustrations is In the resolu-
lions adopted by the German-Americau
Double Standard Club, of the Eleventh
congressional district, New York.
These resolutions declare that there
Is every reason TO believe that Secre-
tary Hay "is using the moral influence,
and, to a certain extent, the physical
power Of this government to assist Eng
land In her present unjust war against
the South African republics" such
conduct on the part OF our admlnistra-
tion," the German-American Double
Standard Americans add, ''is the most
infamous and dastardly act ever perpe-
trated in the history Of the world"
Now for the specifications upon which
this sweeping indictment is made. The
particular species Of Americans COM
posing this club are not at loss here.
They declare:
"The selection Of the son Of our secre-
tary of state-or rather, EnglRnd'B rep
resentative in the American cabtnet-to
represent us at Pretoria, Is q direct in
suit and outrage against every sense
Of Justice, right and honor, and we hold
that the presence Of the son OF our Sec
rotary at Pretoria, or in any section OF
the South African republics, can be
looked upon only as un unfriendly act
toward the Beers, and a violation OF In
ternational law, more particularly since
his last instructions were delivered TO
him in the city of London, and possibly
by the court OF st. James. Under these
circumstances, he becomes an English
spy. created by the American public,
and controlled by Birth influence.
att is not only the right. but the plain
duty Of the TraneNaal government to
refuse absolutely to have English inter-
ests presided over by so-cahed Ameri-
can consul, whose duty consists mainly
OF seeing how English prisoners are be-
ing fed In Pretoria"
Attack upon the American govern
ment by those who require the qualifl-
cations Of adjectives and hyphenS to
dtfferentIate their Amerlcanism have
never carried much force. Certainly
the Americanism OF John Hay Is not to
be impeached from such quarters He
Is a, typical American, man of native
force. Of broad Intelligence and refined
cultivation. He Is not a German
American, or an American, or an
EnRlish-American He Is Just an Amer
lean; and Americans generally are tully
as willing to trust the government OF
their country TO the Americanim OF
such Americans as to that OF those who
require the use of n hyphen to classify
themselves and a set OF flamboyant res
olutIons to assaIl America whenever
there IL an opportunity TO do so AFFORDED
by its relations with other countries.
The fact that the new American con-
sul to Pretoria Is the son Of such an
American as Secretary Hay is in his
favor But he will stand or fall on his
own merits, as he may develop them,
and the assaults on him by the hyphen-
ated Americans because OF his family
will have no more weight than the
filings Of the newspaper paragraphsts
who know nothing about him except
that he IL young man, and who sneeF
at him on that account as "Bertie;
In going to Pretoria, charged with eX-
tending his good offices as far as per-
mitted BY international custom, to the
British, he Is but following the usage
oF civilized nations. We are ohering
10 the British through him the same
courtesies which they offered us during
the Spanish war through their consuls
and which In the Franco German war
We offered through our representatives
to the French at Berlin and TO the Ger
mans at Paris. Instead OF denouncing
the American republic for sending
British spy to the Transvaal, the mem
hers Of the German American Double
standard Club would gain better un-
demanding Of what true Americanlsm
means by paying less attention to adtec-
tiyeS and hyphens, and more to the his
tory and spirit Of the American people
and government; by emitting now and
then to assume that this country Is al
ways in the wrong whenever u comes
in contact with foreigners who have any
OF the hyphenated Americans blood In
their veins, and by bending their de-
Rires occasionally to uphoidinS, instead
"a nI,voN,a hacking America,