New-York tribune., 1918-06-17
Making Americans
From "H Cittadino," On American
Italian Weeniy Of Neu0 York

ROM Rome cones the news that the
4 "Avanti," the official Italian Socialist
publication, advocates governmental
supervision of the press.
Evidently the Socialist party, which has
been severely rebuked for its attitude ana
baneful influence in the war, wants new 10
establish for itself as we'll as for Others,
the right to investigate governmental and
other parties press activities.
Timely investigation on the effect of for
eign language publications would have
brought out long ago the fact that great
masses Of adult mgrants-although eso-
nomically benefited by their living here
have remained neutral or irresponsive to
American ideals, through persistent or
unique reading of papers printed in their
mother tongue.
Nobody should wonderland least of al
the government of the United States--if in
many instances the immigrants have re-
NAMED completely foreign nigh well
through their lives-to the rest of the popa-
lation; so much, that in great many rural
communities and countless shops and estab-
hshments the common OFFICIAL language has
been anything but English and that many
children born here did not know a word
of English until obliged to go to school.
The proof has been the enormous number
of young men of draft age unable to under
stand English, yet vegy anxious to fight for
thn nd trim nj buc asfi
have at last an opportunity to learn Eng
lish and become worthy American citizens.
Like the immigrants, so the foreign Ian
guage newspapers have been left to grow
unattended. They, for self preservation
not always devoid of good intentions--in-
stead of fostering assimilation, have been
prominent in the creation OF fore gn cen
tres perpetuating old foreign ideas, much
against the true moral and material vel"
fare of the immigrants.
In the same equivocal manner, chiefly
through legislative neglect the foreign Ian
guage newspapers, with rare exceptions
have been the greatest tools to help rob
bing" their compatriots Of mi lions ana
millions of dollars through all sorts of fake
advertisements.
Advertising literally within the law, bus
generally refused by American newspapers
for it's self-evident base of crookedness'
was eagerly sought or cheerfuly acceptea
by selfish and unscrupulous foreign sah-
guage newspapers devoted only to expion
their readers and advertisers.
With national supervision over the Amer
a.. df fhs
foreign language press, many Of its ooious
features including unfair advertising prse-
tices as to rates. circulation and morahV'
would be eliminated.
Very wisely the government has been a0is
to care for the savings of the Immigrants
through supervision and limitation OF aant'
ing operations or to protect thern VITA w
surance and compensation laws. Why nos
as logically. protect them from un-Amesr
can publications that spread poisonous a0v
trines, Irint bogus advertisements OF "
business under false representa- ionss
How about obiiging the foreign lansuss
newspapers to publish one-eighth OF sasN
reading matter in English? Such inno's
tion would give their readers an opp'4
tunity to master English and also their u's
American sentiment gould easily be sses.
tanned, for no paper would cpns'ssen1,
write one way in the mother Language sas
differently in English.
If the publications of the half shoussss
foreign language newspapers edited 70 ~
country and reaching several miliior y.
eigners were so altered and regulated
easy matter to adjust under the perm" y -
tenn of the law of October 6. 1elT--is Ss~.
prove a simple Americanization scheme :
the most practical and far reaching cons,
quences. 1t would prove particularly as
vantageous after the war. when inmass
from Europe will again come 60
shores in large numbers and the fatal - q es,
of past national indifference toward 49,
may not be repeated.