The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-04
WILLARD DISCUSSES
 GREAT PROBLEM OF THE MEL TING POT
Segregation of German Ele
 nnent in American Popula tion is Grave Matter.


 stockhridge. Mass. Sept. 4-os- wald Garrison Willard, publisher of the New Y ork Evening Post. in an ad- dress before the Laurel Hill Aasocia,- ton here. today declared that the movement among American citizens of fsforeign, especially German descent, to form bodies apart from the citizen- ship presented a far-reaching domes- tic issue which the American people must conquer as they have conquered other great evils.
 MT. Willard said that an important factor in the continuance of the American melting pot lay in edu- eating immigrants to the proper du- ties of citizenship. He asserted that In most instances heretofoi8 naturali- Eation examinations had been a. farce, and that the award of what ought to be the most highly prized of diplomas had occurred, in New York at least, In dim, dingy rooms under circum- stances not as dignihed as attend the registering of letter."
 Mr. Willard said he was ''born on German soil. of a. German father.''
 Foreigners becoming American cit Eens should be made to understand, MT. Willard said, that there can be no divided citizenship or loyalty or allegiance under the American flag; that no one can accept political ob1i-
 
 another social system, another entity or another code of laws.
 In opening his address, MT. Willard quoted from an address made by Carl Schurz at the celebration of the lat ter's seventiethF birthday, 1 6 years ago, in which MT. Schurz said that no mat ter how warm the affections German Americans had held for their native land they had never permitted their affections to interfere with their du- ties as American citizens, nor to se- duce them to use their power in American politics for foreign ends.
 How amazed Carl Schurz would be to return to us today to find that that has come to pass which he deem ed inconceivable,' said MT. Willard, s'that German an-American affection for their native land has interferred with the proper attitude of the great bulk of these toward the land of their adoption. He would find to his hor- TOT that at this moment their pres ence on this soil does not help to pre- serve peace and friendship between their two parent nations. but adds fuel to the flames of bitterness.
 'tThe very thing he inveighed against all his 1ife-the development of a political solidarity among Ger urged by practically all who profess to be leaders among them A
 Naturally Schurz would scan the horizon for some discriminatory act on the part Of our government, or some manifestation or racial prejudice against German-An1ericans But he would find nothing of the sort. So far as the federal government and estates are concerned he would discover nott- ing changed from the day he left us.
 t'The mighty convulsion we are witnessing he would ascertain to be due entirely to foreign complication, to a determination ~on the part of our Communications to stand by their Fatherland through thick and thin, right or wrong; to a. sudden self-reve- i1a.tion that unlike himself they by the ten thousand had not really trans ferred their allegiance to the country lof their adoption; to a determine ton on their part to compel the gov ernment at Washington to adopt their point of view.
 What would amaze him more than to find unnumbered Germans who like himself, came to this country to escape the very militaristic autocracy they now uphold, today denouncing the nation that adopted and shelter eds fed and clothed them"
 MT Willard touched at some length on the writings of Prof. Julius Goe-4 bel, of the University of Illinois, in which the latter contended that Ger man-Americans are Americans only in a political sense'' and the writer protested against the "presumption of those who would stamp out German characteristics in the American melt ing pot"
 Other races have shown strong ten dencies to form distinct bodies, Mr. Willard said, but the German propa- ganda is so far the most extensive.
 He then asked that if it were true, as contended, that the Gernans kultur and political system were superior to the scheme of life and government in America why the hordes who have hocked here did not go to Germany instead.
 MT. Willard said that to allow na- tionalistic groups to develop in this country such as they have in Austria Hungary, would be most disastrous He said such a proposal was '.un- thinkable to a true-ninded Amer Ican.''
 After dwelling on the evils to be encountered by a further growth of these groups, MT. Willard said that The present development of them was challenge to American statesman ship and to four loyalty to all things American 9