Imperial Valley press., 1919-02-28
REORGANIZATION
AMONG FOR EIGN
PAPERS RELATED

The following article, of interest
to those following the Americanlza-
ton movement, has been released byl
the government Committee on Pub
lie information:
What do the foreigners-aliens,
resident and onn-resident, the vastj
mass Of foreign-speaking peoples
who have come to America-think OF
the United States? Have they ade-
quate means of expressing their opin--
ions, voicing their aspirations and
airing their grievances? 1t has been
the experience of many Americans,
as we'll as foreigners, who have
turned their attention to the prob
lens of reaching the several millions
of aliens residing in this country, to
discover that the answers to these
questions are not easily found.
For years the foreign-language
press has been practically ignored by
the Americans, and it was only when
it became necessary to supervise all
the newspapers in the country that
our attention was directed to them.
During the war the foreign language
press on the whole enthusiastically
supported the government and the
| American nation.
| tt was only after the signing Of the
armistice that the real gTypleHls be-
came evident. What was to be the
! policy of the foreign language press :?
| What it to lapse once more, partly
because of lack of interest on the
| part of this country and partly be-
cause of legitimate sympathy on the
| part of that press itself for the Eu-
| ropean nations whose sons and
daughters can read newspapers only
in their native tongue? Or was it
to adopt Americans ideas, standards
and ideals, and tend to become, what
in time it inevitably will become,
purely, American.
| Of course it is impossible and al
together inadvisable to attempt any
| sort Of coercion, if for no other rea-
| son than that American ideals con-
stitute subject on which Americans
| are themselves divided, but it is pos
| sibe to realize that an appreclable
part Of the foreign-language press is
| now ready to carry on its own cam
paign for the purposeof bringing its
| readers into closer relations with all
things genuinely American.
That press during the past has re-
lied to too great an extent on news
and ideas from he home country, just
as many groups were forced by cir
cumstances to remain apart from
other groups and from the native
population. There is nothing repre-
hensible in maintaining some sort of
contact with the Old Country, but
when this becomes an absorbing and
exlusive interest it cannot fail tol
hinder that close union of all races
and nations which is surely one plank
in the platform of true Americaniza-
ton to which all Americans can sub
scribe.
Under the circumstances, taking in
to account the neglect that has been
the lot of the foreign-language news
papers, these are to great extent
beginning to realize that they will
in the near future occupy an eX-
tremely important part in the work
of Americanization- term, 1t must
be clearly understood, that means in
creased effort to bring the foreign
born population into closer touch
with America, and not an exclusive
policy of selfishness.
In mentioning certain foreign
groups and particular papers it isl
not intended to minimize the work
of other groups and papers, but
merely to indicate what is being
done at the present time. True, a
number of papers were not whole
heartedly American during the war,
and some are not yet clear OF sus-
picion, but the Following brief list
will at least indicate the trend OF
progress in this important field.
AS might be expected, the Czecho-
Slovak press is enthusiastically en-
tering into the work, and many dailies
and weeklies print not only official
documents and news stOriese, but are
writing editorials and printing news
of American matters that are in no
way connected with the political de-
velopments of Czecho- -Slovakia. The |
Youngstown Slovenske Noviny runs
editorials weekly in English on vari-
Gus phases of Americanizatlon; the |
Slovensky Sokok, of Perth Amboy,
N. j., likewise; while the monthly |
Bratrsky Vestnik of Cedar Rapids,
Ia, is consistently carrying on a
vigorous campaign on behalf OF
American ideals. Two other weekly
papers-Zenske Listy of Chicago and
Kvety Americke of Omaha-are fol-
lowing similar policies; the latter, 1T II
is interesting to note, has departed
from the tradition of reprinting for
eign literature in supplements, and
is at present running "Mrs. Wiggs
of the Cabbage Patch" serially
Among the dailies may be mentioned,
among others, the Slovak Amerike of
New York City and the Svornost of
Chicago.
AS the Jugo-Slav race is divided in
to three component elements-the
Serbs. the Coats and the Slovenes--
80 the Jugo-Slav press is divided.
Among the Croatian papers that are
entering into the new spirit OF CO.
operation are the o-Slovensky Svi-
;et. a New York daily; the ZaJedni-
Il oil