The daily progressive-miner., 1918-09-12
TRUE AMERICAN.
lzATI0N


there was tendency on the part OF
some Americans to challenge the pat.
riotism Of all the foreign oorn among
us. These people doubted whether.
in the event Of war, our foreign born
population would be willing to give
the full measure of their support to
the United States rather than to the
Countries of their birth. They we're
not convinced by the fact that the
foreigners whom they mistrusted had
deliberately chosen the United States
as the home Of their children. and had
invested In this country their little
capital and their very life itself. This
skeptical feeling was entertained by
certain Americans who knew the for
eign born only through their preju-
dices; many French and English hon
estly feared 1t; with many more Ger
mans the wish was father to the same
thought.
Fortunately. after one year Of war.
the answer to Germans expectations
and our own fears has been given.
The names OF the volunteers. the
names on the frightening. casualty
1fsts-Slavic. Greek, italian. Scandi-
navian. Irish. along with English-are
Che answer to the undeserved charge
that the foreign born among US were
unwilling to accept their share OF re-
sponsibility for our national decis-
ions.
But as the foreign born have gath
cred from the industrial centers of the
country in camps and cantonments,
there has been new evidence OF our
past indifference to the problems
which come with complex popula-
ton. The most conspicuous OF these
has been the inability of considera.
BILE number to speak English. Shocked
to find that many who were to carry
the colors to France could not speak
our language, some Americans are
ready to demand IAN aggressive cam
paign of Americanization." They
would like to summarily force all for
eign born citizens to use the English
language. But l submit that compul-
sion by law or social pressure would
fail here just as 1t has failed in Pc
land. in Bohemia, and in Lithuania.
Americanization means much more
than learning to speak the English
language under compulsory school
attendance law. While the barrier Of
language must be improved. it can
never be successfully don. by auto
cratic and coercive methods.
The non-English speaking immi-
grant lives isolated and ,xmote from
the main current of American life.
But a most important element in his
Isolation is the ignorance Of the Am
erican who lives on Riverside Drive,
Of the history and struggle Of the
Slavic steel worker in Bethlehem or
the Italian garment worker in New
York.
The duty and the opportunity Of
the national government and OF the
local community to the admitted i'm
migrant were and still are ~ to pro-
tect him against fraud and exploita-
ton. 80 the such traditions as he
cherished with regard to America
might not be lost in his first contracts
with US; (2) to give him an opportuni
ty to learn the English language and
secure such a working knowledge Of
our laws and institutions as would
enable him to join US in the work Of
making the United States a really ef-
fective democracy; ~ t.. MAKE such
adjustments OF our political and social
machinery as the peculiar needs OF the
various elements In our complex pop
ulation render necessary or desirable
The peculiar potency Of the opinions
Of our foreign born citizens at this
time should not be overlooked. They
have played an important part in the
politics Of Europe in the past. Every
movement looking toward more dem
ocratic organization in the cold coun.
try" has counted upon the emigrants
in the United States for moral and A.
nancial aid and more than one Euro
for American support. the troublesome
during the past fifty years that except
But the Americans have themselves
demands OF the oppressed nationals.
ties could have been easily silenced.