Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-10-15

THE HYPHENATED AMERICAN
CONTINGENT.

0SaSAohf SDcokiuk, IL II uOuDllt~S niI-
nral that everyone should nave an affee-
ton for his native land-provided, of
course, that his native land has been a
kind and hospitable mother. But when
people come from a foreign land to make
their home in another land and become
citizens Of the new land, it is only right
that their first duty Of citizenship should
be that of loyalty to the land Of their
adoption. The population of the United
States is of the most composite nature,
being made up of people from many lands
who have been immigrating hither in
greater or less numbers ever since the
landing Of the Mayflower.
1t has been only a comparatively mod
ern development of its history, however.
that such immigrants have adopted the
habit of designating themselves by placing
the name of the land of their nativity be-
fore that of America, connected by a
hyphen. Thus, although the founders of
the republic and those who sought a haven
in America for many years were proud to
call themselves just plain Americans, of
more recent years there nave sprung up
various kinds Of so-called Americans, who
are known rather more prominently by the
first part of the hyphenated designation
which they have adopted than as Ameri-
cans.
This condition had attracted little com
ment, until the breaking out of the Great
War, but since that cataclysm occurred,
the tendency of our adopted fellow citizens
of foreign birth to show their sympathy
for this or that belligerent nation has
brought the hyphen more and more promi-
nently before the public eye, and has, in
fact, been more or less embarrassing to
our government. In view of the necessity
of keeping our country strictly clear Of
any ENHANCEMENT which might possibly
cause il TO become involved in the war, the
over jealous partizanship of many of our
hyphenated fellow citizens for their re-
spective fatherlands has assumed a some
what serious aspect. 1t was Of these
psuedo Americans that the president was
thinking when he said the other day in his
address before the Daughters of the
American Revolution:
al am in n hurry To nave a lineup.
Let the men who are thinking first Of
other countries stand on one side. and
those who are for America first, last
and all the time on the other side."
The president sounded the keynote of
frue Americanism when he voiced that
brave challenge TO all who claim citizen
ship under the American flag. 1t l. a fact
that all true American patriots are com
ing to recognize more and more fully that
a citizen who tacks the word American on
to the name Of his birthland by means Of
a hyphen to describe his nationality can
hardly be as devoted to the American flag
rs those who are proud to call themselves
Just Americans.
The people Of other lands are welcome
70 come and make their home in our land,
10 enjoy all Of its great opportunities, to
claim even the sacred privilege of citizen
shin. Int we Americans must feel that as
a recompense for all that we give them,
these men and women who have forsaken
their native lands and found a nome with
us and who have sworn allegiance to this
government, should not forget that it is as
Americans and not as this -or-t that -Ameri-
cans that they are given rights Of citizen
ship. They should remember that any act
which might tend to violate neutrality and
endanger the relations between the United
States and any foreign country would be
REASONABLE. Such acts are rightfully
FINISHED by Imprisonment in our penal in
stitutions, and the forfeiture Of the rights
of citizenship if such rights had been
previously granted the offender.
And most Of all they should remember,