Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-06-16

cApeClS 10 receive the democratic
nomination again. and his organs
mainly the New York World en-
deavoring to make "nativism" the
paramount issue. They want to de-
vide the electorate of the United
States by races. Whether they sue
ceed or not remains to be seen. Any
true American will hope that they
will not succeed But as this ques-
ton has been much discussed it may
be Of interest to weigh the relative
voting strength OF the different races.
particular OF the German race and
the races that. in q division, would
80 with the Germans The following
is taken from "Chamberlin's" and is
q discussion Of "Chamberlin S" with
Slason Thompson, director Of the
Railway News and Statistics. Cham
berlin's" says
Slason Thompson, director of the
Bureau of Railway News and Statist-
les, thinks that Chamberlin's over
estimates the number Of German
votes that will be cast in the next
presidential election. He hauls out
the 1910 census to prove that the
German president-making power can
never approximate twonty-seven per
cent. Of the total vote, reaching at
the utmost to little more than eleven
por cent. In commenting on a COM
ment in the April issue he writes:
II wish you would look up the
authority behind the statement in
your note on Wilson Unappreciated'
that the Germanic vote totals some
twenty-sevcn per cent of our citizen
ship ! know that this twenty-seven
per cent. has been running wild in
the pro-German papers, for months.
But where does it originate?
According to the United States
census for 1910, which l take to be
the latest and best authority on the
subject, the known German element
in the United States was as follows:
German foreign born. .2, 2,501,181
Native Of German parent
age ....,.... .'.-.....'.. 3,9l ,S47
Native one-parent German ! ,869,5 $50
Total ............8, 8,282,61S
This. according to the census
was nine per cont. of the
total population in 1910. / find that
in 1900 the foreign born Germans
2.813.628. or 27.2 per cent
of the foreign born of all rationale
ties. BY 1910 they had decreased
both absolutely and relatively to
2,5Ol,1Sl, or 1875 per cent of the
foreign born population
Besides these Germans of foreign
birth or parontage, there are the de-
scendants OF the original German
stock here at the first census. In
1900 these were estimated in the
census reports to number 100000.
The same process OF computation
would Increase their number to
2, 2,14S,0OO in 1910. making the total
population of Germanic origin 10.-
f30,644, or 11.S per cent. of the to-
tai. Americans of British stock con-
stitute over SO per cent. of our popu-
Iation
To-day there is nothing to diff
Perontiate tho descendants Of tho
Germans Precautionary days from
heir fellow Americans OF other stock
except their nomenclature, and
what's In a name?"
Confronted in this way with the
census, Chamberlin's is not sure that
L can brazen the matter out But it
will try The sentence under criti-
'ism was intended only as an indica-
ion Of how important the Germanic
strain would be to candidates who |
rad incurred the dspleasure OF |
friends of the Central Powers. The I
wenty-seven per cent. applies only, |
in terms of President maxi
ne power. Mr.. Thompson's mistake |
g in assuming that the whole United |
states makes the President. This is
lot true. We have, to illustrate, ten |
million negroes, most OF whom have |
10 vote. We have, to illustrate In |
mother way, fourteen statos which |
hrow their vote away. These are |
he southern states. which always
'oto Democratic. Now that Grover |
Cleveland is dead, they have nothing |
o do with presidential elections ex-
'ept in such years OF Republican
as 1912. Their total popu-
alton in 1910. including negroes, |
vas 27,634,820. Taking this from |
'ur total Of 91,972,266, leaves Ga
'37.446 people in states which make
he President Practically all of the |
ierman blood is in these states. The
outh, with the exception Of Texas |
nd Maryland, has no foreign popula- |
ion On this basis the German blood |
mounts to between sixteen and |
eventeen per cent. OF the population !
which makes the President.
Going further, we find several
'ther modihers in favor Of German
lower. Chief of these is the fact that
he typical Irish vote is Democratic.
he Irish divide with the Germans |
he honor of having the most power |
ul foreign vote But the Irish are |
IN the side which does not make the
President. The Germans are nearly |
lways Republican Again. a very |
Ugh percentage Of Germans become |
itizens The percentage among |
ome of the other racial groups Is
cry low Their vote Is therefore
ut down, in some cases almost by
alf Once more, the census does not
airly represent the foreign blood.
he national attitude has always
zen one of dorision toward the for
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