BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-03-19
SANJUAN, MARCH ~
American Citizenship.

American Citizenship.
Ever since the beginning Of the Amer.
iosa occupation Of Porto Rico, the banner
Of the obstructionist and the opponent to
American progress in the island, has had
enbIasoned across 1t in fiery red the words
ADO not let the Angle-S.x Ms swallow up
tss identity Of the Latin people" With great
psrsistsuey it has been maintained that
she tsco people were incompatible and that
the intsreats Of the one bslled these OF the
ether, AID that the sscendency OF the Anglo
BaIon meant the degradation and dosonfall
Of the Latin. Public men bsve been asssil'
ed d traitors, and towards for assisting In
the Americanisation Of Porto Rlco, until
TO day sect las been born whose hatchet
ID ready to ay ct oil things which emanate
from Americans or are peculiar to matters
particularly associated with the United
btates.
All this In the iaea Of statistics to the
eject that forty per cent, OF the population
uf the United Ststes are either nsturalised
citisens, or the children of the same.
Amongst this vast population there are re-
pressntatives of every known people which
inhabit the globe; some in largs numbers
sAd Others SMALL, and in un'mpOrtsnt loca'
lities or sections. IrishmsH, Poles, Seedes,
Germans, Italians, Frenehmen and every
knOsVn mixture Of Anglo Saxon, Latin,
Slav and Oriental make up the people Of
the United States, and help to form the
bsokbens of the greatest people yet knoUn
to the civilised world.
Foreigners from Europe coming to the
United States to seek land where liberties
are better guaranteed, and where the chan-
ess Of education and bettermsnt are nm
squalled easily sssimilats with the othel
Europeans which they Hud in the bettel
land, and within space of few year
rank amongst the best citizens which the
Union can beast Of. There is never found
excepting possibly among the chinese, any
people who after coming 10 the Union, and
seeing the benefi Q derived By oil equally,
whe insist upon preserving their idenhtyas
particular or special race. A German landl
in New York, unable to utter single syl
liable OF the English language, he works,
struggles and learns, and within space oi
ten years he forgets that he ever vas Ger
man. becomes an excellent citizen, self res.
pectsd, and 10 glad of the opportunity ia
be known - au American citizen The
same 10 tias of every other nationality
which 10 known In the Uaited States. We
except to all this however the anarchist,
who ID anarchistic no matter what he be.
II 10 reasonable to ask the 0bstructionists
II the Americanisation Of Porto Rico means
that the latin people are to be swallowt
up and made The slaves of the Anglo.
6sIoni There 10 only enc answer to this
question, and that 10 that in passing up his
latin identity the Lstin becomes . citisen
Of . republic schlch knows NO limits Of
origin, race, class or creed, but where all are
sitisens Of the Union. There 10 no loss Of
individuality, that 10 the man 10 simply q
eitizen, and that his father or his mother
WAS this or that or tbe other thing, and
that ~ 10 an American, notnIng more.
II some of oar friends whs ins sc on pres.
srvlBg the.r sepsra,s identify could y,st
ssms Of the New Ysrk Oity sckoels ON the
lesser east side, they wou d Rnd awaiting
tAeia . lesson sChieh would rather speedily
shssge their opinions on the gutjecs Of
Aanonsl ldsntity. Here We have the tfspring
Of the Pole, the German the Swede, and the
Russian, and plenty of Ita.isns and French
girls and boys are also shere. Every one 10 ,
lAerougk American, in spite OF the fact that
thsir parents have grown old 10 the lands
Of thsir fathers. Learning rapidly, studying
cleanliness and selt-Yslianoe they become in
the yssrs that follow the best citisens which
the natien can boast Of. In the school
sttsnd.d By Theodors Roosevelt in his
ysuth, one may to day find ss much Amer.
isaaism amongst the children Of na:urAltsed
cisissus a. could be foEud in the days schen
the oldest Dutch burghers sent their chil
&.ea there. The spirit Of liberty grows on
enc vsry quickly, and The more 80 because
OF ita universality. All nations living
tsgsthsr In pesee, forming ONE coua,ry, and
creating . psople made powerful BY neoes
sity and thrift.
The desirs to retain ones national ind
idaaIify in the United States or while
spplying fer sdm'ssion into the American
bfotherheod IL an unnatural and unfair enc
Ia becoming oitIssn one swsars allegiance
% tks people Of the United States, and
forswsafs any connection with any king,
petsnsats sr prince. In the same way this
desire 70 become citissn should originate
ff.n . kindred desire TO become notking
bat Amsifean. In the American sue ssl
I'D strsng It 10 not Anglo Saxon power,
BET it i the strength and success Of tkel
1sWnfroidsu Europsan gwen ekancs to
|,ss right and to shsW tse stuff sf which be
y mads. The Latin ID . psgt, e l. the Slsv
lad tie Pole. The brothsfhood tnoWs no
4 Istiso osions Of race origin. The preservation