The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-09-14
THE MELTING POT

Christian Science Monitor BY TINS
title ii seems to be agreed that loi
certain purposes the United states
shall hereafter be known, and what
ever its critics may think. its admir-
ers are evidently we'll pleased Will
the term Whether the distinguished
man of letters that coined the phrase
intended that il should be thus used
we can not tell. but he can not but
be flattered at the result. Al the
same time. in the interests OF an arts
tic yerisimilitude, 1t is not unreasoh'
able to remind our readers that there
are two sides to a question and some
times even more. If we are not too
rash in assuming this much, We shali
make so bold as 10 point out that One
side of the melting pot question Is
that held By the native inhabitants OF
the United States and independently
of these by divers that have thought
on public questions and conceive thai
they have as good a right 10 Xpres.
those opinions as Iney tnat may noi
agree with them But for the mo
ment. at any rate, there seems TO be
curious idea that TO oppose the
melting pot" scheme for the UnitNd
States is something that sayors OF
persecution or narroWness. Nlthoul
doubt there are many that are so un
fortunate as to be narrow in THEN
opinions and to be oppressive in Tie
way they state them, but we put !
dispassionately to our readers wheth
er the views Of those that urge the
melting pot" idea are quite free from
the faint of intolerance? is there |
anything much more intolerant than |
Systematically and arbitrarily TO ac
cuse the opposite side OF Intolerance?
Even the inhabitants OF the United
States that are descended from tn |
British race that settled the country
have some right to be heard, not be
cause tney happen TO be OF certain /
racial origins, but because they sin |
cerely believe that in many cases |
they have right on their side, ant l
that right founded on certain racia
achievements and political traditions
at least In their opinion. This may /
be prejudice, as writer's have felt i'm
PEELED somewhat comprehensvely t' |
say, but it is a prejudice with some
very plausible arguments TO back il /
In addition TO these, that we believi I
10 be a large but not very articluatt I
class, there are those perfectly wei 1
fitted to form an opinion who thini |
hat a process Of hasty conglomera 4
ion is not the best or safest wa |
o produce a people or to elect a po
s4f4 t1na1- h
/ thing not unknown to the Norti I
American continent before the ad
'ent of the champion OF the "meltins 7
)ot."
The attitude of hostility and inn |
of these champions TOWARD |
hose that quite sincerely and un !
elfshly believe that the materia |
iches of a people and the Indulgence
# its individual members is not al
md the end all Of a country's policy !
S not a particularly agreeable sigh
n one calculated to foster mutua
onfidence or liking To say that al
liens that mmigrate to the Unite' |
states were laWless. would be a mon /
trous injustice but il is an eQua I
INJUSTICE to smother the protests @
he native American with the sophis
ry of easy phrases Abraham Lin
on, a man certainly not enamored o
rivilege or oppression, said sucinct3
hat it was not wise 10 swap horse.
,hen crossing a stream il is fail \
no reasonable question to ask, wheth
r. in the stream Of American develop Z
lent a tried citizenship is not bein
wapped for an inferior