New Britain herald., 1917-04-14
COMMUNICATED.
: AN AMERICAN OR NorHuSG.

4
This, the Land of Opportunity, Asks
From Its Citizens Nothing More
Than 1t Gives.
To the Editor of the Herald
So much is being said and( written
in these days Of increasing cruel war
fare, about German Americans
that /, too, am inspired to write
briefly, in vindication Of those, who,
like myself, happen to be born in our
glorious land of the Pilgrim Fathers,
but of German parentage.
My parents came to this country
from Germany, in their early teens,
mother being mere girl Of fourteen.
They had been neighbors in Germany
>as children, and afterwards, quite by
chance, they met and were married
in this country.
Some twelve years ago it was my
privilege to visit the home of my
grandparents in Germany. and while
there. I took pains to ascertain the
reason for my parents leaving their.
native land while they were yet mere
children. Vfhe reason, in short meter,
given me by the honost old souls in
the community, was. that those chill
dren, with many others of that period,
had either to fly, as best they might,
to America, or starve to death in Ger
many.
It is pertinent to ask right here,
whether Germans generally, have
come across the once wide ocean, 20
this "home of the brave" flying the
flag of true freedom for all. for any
had for coming?
j, nj ~ 70
Germans, with all foreigners, have
blessings promised them here, and
not, primarily, for the blessings they
could bring. Then, if Germans, who
have now, during long years, enjoyed
the bountiful hospitality of Uncle
Sam and who, by adoption. have
become citizens; and the native born,
who have been pleased to have them
selves known as German Ameri-
cans. If these, generally speaking.
desirable citizens, have not in the past
freed themselves from the malevo-
lence of mere blood inheritance, then.
the shock of this crucial world-hour
should at least awaken in them the
sense of justice which has lain DOR
mant in them, and which must con-
strain them now wisely to render
unto Caesar the things that are
Caeser's, and unto God the things
that are Gods"
It seems q pity to me, that
few Germans, or German-born, In
should have proved them
selves so un-American as to oblige our
government to have added concern
on account of the possible disloyalty
Of a single resident or citizen.
And also, I am, in these trying
times, so often reminded that my
parents were German, that 1 find my
self almost apologizing for the mis-
fortune of my birth.
And yet, to me. a "German-Ameri-
can" is an impossibility. AS far back
as I can remember T hear my father
arguing for and defending, this new
home to which hunger had driven
him, and wherein it was possible for
every honest citizen to prove himself
a king. To me, a citizen, or native,
Of our free nation is either an Ameri-
can or he is nothing. A good citizen
can never be a. blood qualified Ameri-
can.
As our nation is founded upon
principle, and is governed as a demo
cracy, according to principle, SO, to
me- citizen of principle knows no
self-centered nationality. The selfish
love of nationality pre-
served at the expense of our equitable
American government, may be nkened
to the loyalty of the bee, that secretly
a poisonous sting for> the
hand that planted the garden of
flowers from which it extracts Its
honey. ~
Citizens Of foreign or native birth
whose hearts are divided, whose
bodies fatten upon the clover of the
land in which they live. while their
are more or less with the
whose autocratic govern
ment is clearly Americas enemy, are,
to say the least of doubtful citizen
ship.
Every true American and friend of
will. in the present hour.
hold up the hands Of the President of
these United States tof ~America: and
every true man and woman, the world
over, must feel grateful to our Presi-
dent, as do, for the manhood, wis
dom, and courage, set forth in his
war message to Congress, In which he
pleads the cause of the people Of the
entire world; draws the line Of de-
between the German people
and the present German government;
exposes the unreliability Of autocracy,
and the impossfbility of friendship be-
tween an arrogant government based
on the personal will of the few, and
the democratic government, or a gov
eminent in which sense Of basic
principle governs through the ma
jority, if not by the unanimous voice
of the people.
TO my sense, it was not the voice
of the people, which as whole, may
be said to be 1.-The voice of God" that
in August, 1914, sent to other nations
after ultimatum, and dec
laration after declaration Of war;
AS an American, pure and simple,