Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-04-08
APPROXIMATION.

AMERICANIZATION.
At Washington a few days ago a
was held at the instance
of Secretary Lane to consider ways
and means for the Americanization
of foreign born. The assemblage was
of state governors, chair
men of state defense councils, heads
of civic organizations, industrial
leaders and business men. Secretary
Lane declared in his keynote ad-
dress that America can become a
complete and purposeful nation and
impose no authority other than the
compelling influence of affection,
sympathy, understanding and educa-
tion."
"Out of this conference continued
the secretary, Should come not de-
termination to make more hard
or difficult the way of those
who do not speak or read our ton
que, but determination TO deal in
catholic and sympathetic spirit with
those who can be led to follow in the
way of the nation, and as to those
others who cannot, other procedure
must be applied. The keynote of this
conference is our responsibility
'yTo be an American, he said, was
not to be satisfied with things as they
are and to let things drift, but to
realize that America, to be a compact
nation, must assimilate its foreign
born.
"We are trying a great experiment
in the United States" he asserted.
"Can We gather together from the
ends of the aorth people of different
races, conditions and aspirations,
who can be merged into one? If we
cannot do this we will fail. If we do
this we will produce the greatest Of
all nations and new race that will
long hold a compelling place in the
world"
The experience of the past year
demonstrates that there is quite an
element in this country that cannot
be won to sympathize with our insti-
tutions by the methods proposed by
Secretary Lane. However, the nation
has a remedy and that remedy must
be applied In the first place, it must
be compulsory upon every communi-
ty to see to it that every child in
this country shall be made famil-
lar with the rediments of our Ian
guage. The state has right to in
sist that it's future citizen shall have
the intelligence to properly exercise
the rights and duties of citizenship.
The secretary says we will fail If
we cannot gather together from the
ends of the earth people of different
races, conditions and aspirations and
merge them into one. However, there
is no obligation upon this country
to welcome to it's borders any people
who will not assimilate it's aspira-
tons and become one of US. We do
not need such people here and
should not let them come. This war
has driven home to us the necessity
Of looking more carefully into the
records and antecedents of men who
seek an asylum here and the time has
come for a firm stand. There has
been althogether to much fawning be-
fore foreigners. Politicians have been
afraid to stand up for the interest OF
the United States and as a result
we have little Irelands, little ltdlys,
little Germanys, little Austrias, ETC.,
in various sections of the country.
There are communities in the United
States where the English language
IS unknown and where the people
are just as loyal to the interests of
the country from whence they came
as they were before they left their
native land. The children OF such
are kept in absolute
ignorance of the ideals and aspira
ions of this nation and will never
become reliable citizens when pat
riotism demands a stand against the
land of their nativity. This condi-
ion of things must not be tolerated
if this is to be the great nation
It has the right and duty to be.