The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-02-14
DIR. STEINER TALKS
TO LARGE AUDIENCE
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A
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a lack of unity. From the very
beginning of the war her coun-
try was invaded and she lad to
fight. The battlefields are three
thousand miles from America
and we fight unitedly not because
of necessity.
England is not as united as we
and her people are not one people
as our people. In England alone,
not considering the British pos
sessions, there is more difference
of language and difference of ma
tional sentiment than in Ameri-
ca. Wales is not England. The
Welchman clings to his language
and his customs and never be-
comes an Englishman. The same
is true of the Scotchman and
certainly the Irishman is not an
Englishman. In fact, there are
two Irelands and the great civil
war brewing there has only been
put down because of this great
world war. Even some of the
British colonies, which have
shown such loyal devotion to the
mother country are not united.
There is one province in Canada,
which voted almost solidly
against CONSUMPTION and which
has never theoretically support
ed the war.
Russia, the largest country in
the world, excepting China, is
anything but united. With the
fall of imperialism has come dis
union and the former vast en-
pire is breaking up into several
separate states. Germany is not
united. The German Empire is
not Germany, but Prussia, Ba-
varia, Saxony, Wurtemberg, Al
SAGE and Lorraine. The imper-
ial German government faces an
opposition in the Reichstag
which if transferred to the con-
gress of the United States,
would make it impossible for this
country to carry on war.
There is no national unity in
Austria-Hungary, no national
language and no national spirit.
There is a polyglot of races and
peoples held together thru the
misrule of the Hapsburgs.
Contrast these conditions in
European countries with condi-
tons in our country. You may
travel anywhere-east, west to
the north or south and you will
| find that the language of the
government is the language of
the people. There is one lang
uage, one spirit, one people. You
can tell when you pass from one
state to another only by the diff
ficulty with which you can pur-
chase drink or a divorce and
even this difference is passing
away. The Welchman is not an
Englishman, the Saxon is not a
Prussian. The Finlander is not
a Russian, the Magyar is not an
Austrian, but in the United
States the man from Washing
ton in every respect is just as
truly as American as the man
from Iowa, the same is true of
the New Highlander, the Texan,
the Missourian and the Oregon
ian.
DR.. Steiner contended that the
tolerance shown the foreigner
had contributed largely to the
naturalization Of America. He
believes that these results could
not have been accomplished had
an attempt been made to force
Americanism upon the newcom-
er. He said that in spite of the
great numbers of foreigners who
had come to our country every
year, our nationalism had been
kept truly American and today
shows no trace of the foreign in
fluence. This he said is strik-
ingly demonstrated in Americas
Language. In Wisconsin, for in
stance, where the majority of
the population are of German
descent the language of the Ger
mans is no longer German. 1t
has become so changed that the
real German cannot understand
it, for it is really American cast
in the German form. On the
other hand, the language of the
the native American is abso-
L. IL of