Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-09-07
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER Z, 1917.
Our OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES" FELLOW
CITIZENS.

CITIZENS.
Without doubt there are n goodly mum
her of American citizens who are of Ger,
man descent that cherish a sort Of ~cnti
rental feeling for the old country which
rIaps prevents them from entering. ful
lv INTO the spirit which actuate- American
II the war against Germany. The sense
lc.s custom of designating ,lese people a.
German Americans which has prevailed
throughout this country MAY have tended
T. foster this e~lincing on their part {. tn,
name of the country from which their an
cr-torS came. Yet. beyond doubt the vas;
rrniority Of them are loyal Americans
The greater proportion of them have he
emo entirely wcaned away from the Old
customs and tastes which marked th,
Germans in their earlier DAYS in AMER
e.. The Younger generations Of thcS,
oraeendants of German people are almost
w'thout exception thoroughly American
n continent and also in habit and tastes
They are as ready to fight GERMANY. whpr
Germany is our enemy. "a the Ensl~h
settlers in America were 10 fight then
mother country. not only during the Revo
Luton. but in the two later wars which ~,
fought with England before the mother
E1. thoroughly convinced that she had
lc' her child once and for al.
Those Americans who do not and nevc,
viii admit that they owe any duty ~ the
country which gave birth L. their ance~
tors. who are American through and
through. regardless of the fact that their
fsihcrs or their fathers father father
n,sv have come TO this country from some
ether land, find II difficult f. understand.
Vhr all of our fellow citizcns who han.
r-1 10 have German blood in their vein,
'fnnot feel n they do shout this matter
= must be acknowledge that our anc,s
to-. came to this country because the,
that they could better themselves here
'-N were dissatisfied. unhappy IN their
na'lfe land. And they thrivcd here. They
aHf' their children and their children
'h'idrcn have enjoyed tho protection of fhe
American flag. and they know that their.
iHNalsy IS due alone to that flag.
III the ease of the millions If German
10 emgratcd from the fatherland. ~
80 one OF them will be bound 10 acknowl
oien that they did - because they founl.
''f'nan institutions irksomc. and German
'lrtions burdensomc. The intolcrahlcl
rif distinctions Of that countr, ~iIilnd
aianiiion and kept the German people ~
ate of unhappy subsection. They
rih'c to America because II was the land
- me tree, because ~ offered boundlr~-
aiT iiiunltIes for advancement. both far
themselves and for their children. Tiny
''arn heen happy here. They have been
accorded every right that every other
American citizen enjoyed. America r.
rc'fcd them a. her oWn. and made thcr
part and parcel Of the nation. When fhc.c
2 'pic look back upon the miserable -ph-
lcrlion m which they were held N Ger.
MANY. they canno but realize what tb.yI
owe To Amerca-the least of their obI-
aiiinn being loyalty ~ The flag.
The truth of the matter II. there -houfdl
lf no more German American. peonl,l
r. German descent living here who hithrr-
- have chosen to designate them.elye. ~
hat hybrid term should hasten to dron tba
prefix. and call themselves lust nlaipl
Americans, like the rest IL W.. n tbr.r
names are of such decided German cast ,.'
e cause them TO be singled out ~ NJ that
people, then they should Americanizc thor
tamc-. They are no longer Germans
hey are Americans. Let them cast tbrir
fortunes wholly with the land which gave
: ancestors "a hospitable home and
m has been. 50 much more to them than
torFany ever could have been a. thum
When Germany sent her mmrderou.l
~nhmarine- forth TO sink American sbir.l
he was warning against the '.German-
tmericans' "a well as against All other
Americans. When Germany sought ALI