Washington Journal., 1916-06-09
"ANGLO-SAXONS"
AND "Hyhens''
Especial Correspondence for this paper
by a prominent Washingtonian).


The hyphen, about which Theodore
Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and other
politicians are going into such violent
spasms, will disappear from American
national life at the very moment when
all Americans, including those of British
descent, recognize by their acts, not
merely by fine phrases intended to catch
votes, that this is a composite nation.
As 0 as the day shall have come
when every American understands that
the man of German, Celtic, Scandina-
Wan or any other cultural tradition is
precisely as good an American as his
~neighbor of British descent; when every
American high school boy shall study
European history that deals with the
past of each nation precisely in accord
ance with its Importance in the develop
ment of mankind, instead of getting a
course in which the affairs of England
take up eighty, those of France fifteen
per cent of time and space, while of the
remaining five Germany gets about
three; when school text books of Ameri-
can history shall no longer be a mere
eulogy Of the yankees" but give to.
each national element its proportionate
share of emphasis; when ideas emanat-
ing from or specially popular in Eng
land shall no longer be held up as the
models for our thought or conduct mere
" because they are English-when that
happy day shall have come, German
Americans, Irish-Americans, Swedish
Americans and all the rest will disap-
pear as if by magic, for OH that day
true Americanism shall have been estab-
lished. Neither Theodore Roosevelt,
however, nor any other demagogue IN
politics. in the pulpit. in the newspapers
or magazines, will ever persuade any
self-respecting American, not afflicted
with Anglomaniac blindness nor anxious
to serve the House of Morgan, into
identifying his A~mericanism with the ex-
elusive domination of English ideas,
English manners and English interests.
In other words: Abolish the anglo
Saxon in the United States, and the
"%hyphen' will disappear automatically.
The conference held in Chicago on
May 80 and go by representatives of
those Americans who cherish their Ger
man traditions cannot help having a
most beneficial effect on the future Of
American affairs. Its immediate pur-
pose was to put pressure on the Repub-
lican National Convention so as to pre-
vent the nomination of Theodore Roose-
velt-although the name of that candi-
date was not mentioned in the resolu-
tons passed. That the candidate him
self felt the wound inflicted on his over
inflated boom is proved by the fact that
he screamed with pain. For what else
was that wonderful speech of his in
St. Louis, in which he spoke of Sin
timidation' and acting in the interest
of Germany" because American citi-
e n prefer a presidential candidate who
does not, knowingly or unwittingly, do
the work of Great Britain?
The more far-reaching Importance of
the meeting, however, arises from the
fact that every variety of German
Americans was represented. By the side
of the delegates of the National Ali
ance there sat pastors of Protestant con-
sgregations and the spokesman of the
Romans Catholic laity. 1t became evil
dent that all of these realized that under
the peculiar circumstances of these tirpes
it has fallen to them and their Irish
American fellow-citizens to vindicate
American independence against the in
sidious attacks of Anglomania to which
Sc large a portion of their anglo
Saxon ~neighbors have succumbed.
On other questions, Americans of
German tradition will continue to differ
as they have done in the past, but the
Chicago meeting has shown that they
know how TO sink those differences
when the duty Of the hour is clearly to
champion true Americanism against the
schemes of the Tories.