The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-01
NATIVE AMERICANS.

dent Eliot have stirred the matter up, a
great many other people have taken alarm
over the tendency to small families among
native Americans, and through pulpit and
press are lamenting the possible dying out
OF American stock" No. one of all these
agitated persons takes the trouble TO ex-
plain exactly what he means by Amer
individual who is born in this country
of parents who are legal citizens and not
mere transient visitors. The parents may
have ''cOme over last week, or last month,
or last year; If they came with the inten-
ton of making this country their home
their child becomes a native American
and may make very coed citizen. But,
plainly, it is not such citizens these who
are alluded to as American stock" The
Americans meant are presumably those
several generations. But just how many
generations? Perhaps Mr.. Eliot has in
mind the first settlers of New England
and their descendants. Mr.. Roosevelt may
consider that the blood of the early Dutch
settlers is an important element in the
race foundation of his country. But are
all the people who are so suddenly anxious
about the life and permanency of their
race counting back to the colonial period
or even to the revolution? The influences
of the Pilgrims and the Puritans of New
England. the Hollanders of New York.
the followers of Penn and the mixed aris-
tocracy and ticket-of-leave settlers OF vir-
ginia were strong, and together went to
character, but other elements came into
the race later and left other marks that
are now as much part of the native
makeup as any that were inherited from
Mayiower ancestors. 1t is over a hundred
years since the revolution. Within that
characteristics with those that were
known as American when the nineteenth
century opened. From Germany, Ireland,
Scotland immigrants fiocked in the first
half of that century. and who can tell their
descendants now from, say. the Sons and
Daughters of the American Revolution. so
far as the possession of genuine American
spirit is concerned-a spirit made up of
loyalty, energy, self-confidence, courage
and adaptability? Moreover, in what re-
spect do these differ from the children
and grandchildren of the immigrants of
half century ago and less? Assimilation
has been a rapid process, and the man
who, because his forefathers were pioneers
in the new country. assumes a race SUI
periority over the man whose father was
not born here makes claim which prob
ably has no basis. Senator Hoar told an
indianapolis audience the other day what
effect the admixture of Irish blood had
upon the American character. The in
iuence of Germans and other races is not
less apparent.
Probably what the alarmists who are be-
moaning the small size Of native American
families really fear is the rapid increase OF
the Italian, Russian and Polish immi-
grants who have come in recent years in
assimilated. But there is some good in
every race. and inasmuch as the Amer
lean race at its purest is composite, is IL
improbable that the best that is In these
newer elements of the population will
eventually be assimilated and be made a
part of our native character?
Moreover. is it we'll to feel such a COM
placent satisfaction in native Americansrn
as it now exists? The native does not al.
ways cover himself with glory when un-
trammeled by foreign" Influences: his
course is not always to be approved. There
for example, is Kansas. a State almost en-
tirely populated by native Americans. The
financial vagaries that in recent years
have given the country so much trouble
took .firmer hold upon the people Of that
commonwealth than any other. and. as
events have shown. the people there are
likely at any time to come TO the supper,
Of freakish doctrines of all sorts.
There. too. are the people of the Southern
States. These States have received aImos,
none of the foreign immigration of thu
last century. The mountain whites Of
whom John Fox, jr., writes. and the 200,
whites of States further South are ma.
| tive American stock unmixed with any
foreign element in a hundred years Tn.
better classes of Southerners are of almos
equally unmixed blood. yet, admirable a.
many of their characteristics are, no or.
in these days rates them as the most rep
resentative of Americans. They lack IL
breadth of view. they lack the energy ant
enterprise that have come be synony
nous with Amer!canism all over the world
| they lack poise and self-controI- Senate
Tillman-who is not, 1t must be said,
representative Southerner-is nevertheless
| native American.
The native American certainly does no
monopoIize the race virtues. The adopted
American figures everywhere In business
in society. in the professions. In politics
with credit to himself and to the country
a little modesty is becoming to the maj
whose great-grandfather was born her
when he contemplates these things. HI
might consider. Tor iastsrcA that NJ
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