The New York herald., 1922-12-24

1
recent elections in New York city with
to another have largely been on racial
lines. Mayor Hylan was elected by
! Italian, Irish, German and other foreign
5locs. This is running true to the fac
tional type OF politics in Continental
Europe and politically backward parts
OF the world. These have not yet ad-
vanced TO the two party SYSTEM which
President Lowell calls the sign of politr
cal maturity, and which is 50 char
Gcteristic OF people like the Americans,
who have fundamentally British insti-
tutions.
Constitution British
| 1t might be remarked here in this
connection that there Is no more char
| acteristically British document In the
world than the Constitution of the Unit
ed States. No wonder our recent immi-
grants do not understand it, or the in
| stitutions Of this country. but attempt
to introduce the paternalism OF Conti-
| mental Europe. Senator La Toilette.
who poses as the leader OF a radical or
| agrarian movement. draws his main
! personal support from a large German
| Socialist element in Wisconsin which
| showed its true character during the
war. and never has been really Ameri-
canized. 1t Is fear of the hyphenates
and other un-American elements in our
life that has caused the organization Of
| the Ku Klux Klan. itself based upon
mistaken understanding of all that for
which America really stands. as men
| toned above.
| 1t seems that the great and prime ne
cessity at present IS continuation OF
rigid restriction Of immigration. The
present law is badly formulated and ad-
ministered In some of its provisions. but
| 1t is on essentially sound principles. 1
know the counter arguments Of differ
| ent elements of people. especially of
| our business men: that we are now sur
! fering under shortage of unskilteu
| labor, and also playing into the hands
of the autocratic labor leaders, so many
| of whom are themselves foreign born.
My answer Is that 1t would be far bet
ter even to reduce our prosperity and
| restrain the economic development or
this country. If that be necessary. In
order that we preserve our American
characteristics.
OF course no one will deny for mo-
ment the great contributions that our
foreign born citizens have made to
American life and progress, spiritual as
well as material. If more of them were
like Carl Schurz, Hans kudlich. Frank
F. N.
Schiff we would have nothing to say In
opposition. But the difficulty is that
foreigners have come to our shores fast
err than we have been able to assimilate
them e
The so-called labor problem" is one
of itself, and should be met and solved
by the American people as such. The
American laboring man is "all right
and can be relied upon for his loyalty to
American principles. The trouble is that
he Is badly led. and cannot develop the
unions and their legitimate influences
until these latter become really demo-
cratic. instead of autocratic. in orsani-
zation. The unions are not only legiti-
mate, but necessary for the protection
/ and advancement of the laboring man
but they should be Incorporated and
made legally responsible for the powers
they exercise. 1t must be remembered
that irresponsible power is the antithesis
of the American principla of individual.
and thus corporate responsibility
Wants Literacy Test.
In the second place. we shoul1 have a
rigid restriction of the suffrage. Many
people opposed the womans suffrage
movement not because they cared a snaI
Of their fingers whether women voted or
not, but because what they desired wa
to dlsfranchise a lot of ignorant men be-
fore they gave the ballot to intelligen;
women. They believed that it docs not
matter whether a voter was y man OF
woman. so long as tho voter is inteli-
gent. And SO far as we know. the best
restriction Is an educational one. There
fore. every voter should be be required
to read. write and speak tho English
language. Furthermore, a much longer
period should be required for naturaliza
tion. with the passing of q civil service
examination Un EnglsD upon the Gov
ernment. history, geography and ele'
ments of the economic resources of thi,
country. When once this system OF cx.
aminations was developed into smooth
running. order. IL then could be extended
to all men and women 81 years of age
whether native born or not, who desire
to become voters.
Finally, what America needs above
anything else Is leadership. No coun.
try, much less democracy. can succeed
without It,, In other words. each Gov
ernment must be led by an aristocracy
BY this ! do not mean an aristocracy
of blood. OF wealth. or social position
these are merely advantages rather thar
uuaiities-but by an aristocracy OF
achievement. And this achievement
Ilbo1 NC al tut opifituAl duu al Sc1St
as we'll as the intellectual. I do moi
believe. as is advocated by some people
that we should coniipe our educational
advantages only to the small classes OF
those fully competent according to the
above analysis. This would involve a
rigid system of tests. with the powe,
of choosing or discarding according "a
some external standard OF intellectual
ability and placed In the hands of auto.
cratic officials. II opportunity for cdu.
cation Is put within the reach of al
the success or failure of the individual
would be primarily self-imposec
process and almost automatic in Il,
essential working.
IL behooves those OF our citizens who
have the advantages of opportunity and
position TO realize their responsibility
Every boy and girl In school and college
should be taught the duty OF going into
politics not to get something out OF Il
but 20 put something. into IT. And this
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