Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-09-28
KARL MATHIE ADVOCATES
REPUTATION RACIAL
SEGREGATION
Wausau, Wis, Sept. 6, 1920


To the Editor:
| note with regret and indignation
that few men, arrogantly presum1ng
TO speak for the Americans of German
stock, have organized a German-Am-
erican Citizens League, whereby they
hope to inveigle the great body OF
Americans of German ancestry into a
separatist political movement.
These are the same men, who be-
fore and during the war, misled so
many of our well-intentioned Ameri-
cans of German stock into societies
whose chief aim seemed to be to help
Germany as against our own country.
How much evil, how much shame
how much heart-ache these men
caused, they are too ignorant ever to
realize. They tntirely misunderstood
the character of those Americans
whose ancestors came from Germany
if they assume for one moment that
they will allow themselves to be led
into a movement that puts the inter-
ests of racial group ahead of the
welfare of the whole country
No Segregation.
There is no, room in this country
for segregation of racial or religious
groups for political purposes A
moments reflection should make this
clear to any one.
How would these Vierecks and Ger
hards and Walthers like it if the Am
orleans of English stock should or
ganiZe themselves into a league OF
Inglish-Americans, for the sole pur-
pose of running the Republican party
not for the benefit of the United States
but of the English-American Citizens
League and of England?
What would these same men say ii
Tomorrow a million Russians, with
their families, should come from Eu-
rope and settle down in Illinois, at
the same time announcing that they
intended to act as RuSsian-Ameri-
cans; conduct themselves as a Rus
sian group; vote en- bloc; control
which ever party would prostitute it
sself readily; maintain the Russian
language in Russian, language
schools, papers and churches; and
resist all American influences at oyerv
8turn?
Are they ready to say that such
movements would meet with their ap-
prOval? Are they willing to claim
that such groups would ever become
american? Is it not evident that they
would never become American? And
is it not equally clear that the organ
ization of this unfortunate German
american Citizens League must ap-
pear just as odious to our neighbors
lHYhose ancestry is elsewhere than Ger
many?
People Unsuspecting
1t was only too evident, during the
Great war, that the German military
leaders totally misunderstood the
Psychology of the other nations Evi-
identity there are some German-Am-
*ericans, as they are pleased to call
themselves, whose understanding of
he temper of the American people is
Equally childish. If the American vot-
Frs should ever awake to the fact that
b body of German-Americans, in any
considerable numbers, had determin-
ed to vote for Harding as a racial unit
because they thought they could con-
troll him to their racial purposes, they
would be aroused to such a flood OF
Indignation that the Republican can
didate would be swept up Salt Creek
TO ignominious oblivion. But the Am
eriCan people are good natured and
unsuspecting. Not until an overt deed
, is committed do they sense their dan
ger. 1t will be hard for them to real
ize that a self-appointed group of Ger
man Americans is playing the cookoo
laying its eggs in the Republican nest
TO be hatched out into full-fiedged
cookoos for the 1924 presidential cam
paign. But these leaders shamelessly
blatantly, advertise that they are set
on doing this very thing and they in
vite recruits.
There is but one thing for self-re-
specting Americans of German stock
10 do and that is TO see that these mis-
chief makers are repudiated. 1t is a
source OF satisfaction to all loyal Am