New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-07-07
By "Delbrueck Law" Germany Smuggles Twice.
Perjured Subjects Into Citizenry of United
States TO Work for Secret Ends
By Richard D. Harlan
Formerly President of Lake Forest College.

TIME Kaiser, in speaking during
the winter Of 1914-'15 to
- group of Germantown
American citizens who had called
themselves "German-Americans,' is
reported to have said:
81 know Germans and l know
Americans; but l do not know
German-Americans
In 50 saying Wilhelm II saw clear
" and spoke straight; for sven
should have been the standard even
during the period when America
was, officially, neutral" in the great
world war. But, now that our brave
boys in France are facing death AT
tie Teuton hands, the rule Of "All
or nothing" is the acid test of pa
triotism for every man of German
descent in our land. He must either
become all American or be treated
as all German. The hyphenated, the
fractional, American must go.
As Theodore Roosevelt recently
put it,
There can be no such thing
as 6fty-hfty allegiance. Here
after, we must see that the melt
MI a,Ilx,
Generally, that melting process
has been a thorough one in the case
Of those who purposely left the land
Of "Verboten" for this land Of lib
erty and opportunity, and who in a
country dedicated to peace have
sought deliyerance for themselves
and their children from the crush
ing burdens Of Prussian militarism.
Such men have come here to stay.
They have bought farms and houses !;
hey are thriftily accommodating prop
erty here; and their children are in
our public schools. Their whole So
clal and financial future is involved
IN the complete triumph of Amer
lea in the present war. We may
therefore safely take it for granted
mat, excepting a very small per-
centage, the so-called German
Americans" especially those of the
second and third generations, are
absolutely loyal to the Republic.
And Hermann Hagedorn, who is
such splendid representative Of
Inc second generation of loyal
Americans of German descent, is
entirely right when he urges his
fellow Americans to treat the mass
1 "German-Americans" as "straight
americans, until they prove them
selves otherwise"
thousands More
German Than American
But it would be dangerous to our
peace and national security if we
saat our eyes to the fact that there
are thousads Of men in this coun-
Wy who might accurately be called
American-GERMANS," with all the
real emphasis on the last half OF that
eForld phrase.
Inc purpose of this article is to
'sll the attention of vigilant patriots
" TWO types Of ''American-GER-
aANS, the very existence of which
> not dreamed of by The average
|''izen of American ancestry.
According to the Federal natural
.aslon law an immigrant, at any
s"e after landing, may go to the
serk of Federal court and file q
ssciaration Of his intention of be-
sVMlng an American citizen. He
.ast, however, live in this country
w at least five years before he can
= naturalized; and not less than
=, years must elapse between the
Jung Of that declaration and the
Aas out of his naturalization
Apers.
out the Federal Constitution
ssses 1T to the several states to de-
,nlne the qualifications for vot-
mot only in municipal and