GERMANS IN AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3000, 10 February 1917, Page 8

GERMANS IN AMERICA

President Wilson's.chief perplexity in connection with the internal situation of the. United States is likely to bo concorned with the mil: lions of Germans who are resident in; America. Mb; James Davenport Whelpley, writing in the Fortnight ly Review on this over-present German menace, stated that there are now in the United States • about three'million people who'were born in German-speaking countries, and nearly nine million whose mothertongue is German. At the census in 1910 the total foreign-born white population of the States numbered 13,345,545; "that is, 14.5 per cent. of ,the country's total population. Of •these, ■ 3,17.1,935,.. or. about 31 per cent.,- -were horn either in Germany oy.-. in; I Austria-Hungary " Germans ■proper "were-then.\'.not- fejcer than 3,501,333,'that-isi 'lftS per-.'cent: of the 'total foreign-born population, and natives of the other Central Powers numbered 1,670,582, or 12.4 per cent, of that'population. Coming to dii'eot descendants of Ger-•mans.-born in -the. o.f. that class in -1910 . there - were aboijt 13,000,000.' There were at 'the same time 900,129' people whose parents hailed from Austria. All immi-grants-and their offspring within the States are popularly, and not incorrectly,, designated as "foreigners," and in 1910 "foreigners" numbered 32,250,000-r-a somewhat alarming total. The typical American city contains a bewildering population of European , races, among which the Asiatic is-hot unrepresented, in spite of drastic immigration 'laws. Such cities are both polyglot and polychromatic'. ' 'lii' the ' City ••• of .Washington"; oiit. of a population of 330,000',' nearly' 100,000 are negroes. : In -New. York .City' there, are' more Germans than.'.there are in . any city in Germany, with the exception of 'Berlin;- and more, Hebrews than there .are-ip Palestine. No other country in -the".world contains a -moro varied assortment of,nationalities; vor exhibits .in like degree the characteristic:'.of distinct, grouping of races. 1 ' .Germans,- Jews, Russians, and othfer':'nationalities,- with their 'descendants,' usually form colonies of ' their own,' and - politically and socially m&y be said to live apart from tho general American public. There; is, however, .a wide and significant divergence from this rule in the case of the Germans. The Germans in America are distinguished from, other immigrants, arid descendants of immigrants, by reason' of- .the often pernicious influences which they exert within' the spheres of industry and of politics. Even education in- the States has not been entirely free from their sinister, teachings. , Just as German oversea colonies are troublesome and dangerous to neighbouring States, so.are German- immigrants, individually and collectivcly, restless, interfering, -and far from reliable when included within any nonGerman community. Tho Kaiser's subjects' seem, .within recent years especially,-, to have 'carried with 'them across the Atlantic all the "worst domineering instincts of the Prussians. At homo the Prussian seeks to'dominate Europe; in the .States he would fain dominate tho whole of North America. And not by lawful means. Since tho outbreak of the . war the denunciations and execrations of the British, published by Gorman newspapers in America., have displayed quite the same ferocious spirit as those prepared in Germany 'for the edification of the German people. Nor has the German in America stopped short at giving vent to his spleen in his own newspapers. Three great campaigns arc now being carried on in. America by Germany by tho aid of Germans settled in the country and claiming to be American citizens. One has for its object tho creation of friction between America and tho Allies; the second is to furnish support, largely monetary, to the so-called peace-at-any-price party, with the hope of paralysing ail efforts of the President in the direction of war; third, and most important, campaign is to prevail upon the.American people, by any,, thinkable or unthinkable Toutonic device,. to restrict, if pos■Eibl's prevent, tho .export of njuni-

tions of war to the Allies. Success in these campaigns is made possible by German agents fomenting trouble in American labour circlcs, especially in munition works; through the 'destruction by means of' bombs, inccndiarism, and sabotage, of all ships and cargoes destined for Europe; and by terrorising,- in ways conceivable alone to the Germanic mind, ell those who from sympathy or for material gain render assistance to the cause of the Allies. Tho Federal Government has already provided ample, evidence that it possesses knowledge of-Germany's' crusado against. Great Britain and ho.v Allies carried on in America. Further, tho President, and moie recently the United States Federal Attorney, hare shown that they fully realise that, Tn the event of a rupturo with Germany, the malign activities of Germans in the' States may be directed not , only against Great Britain and - her Allies, but also, and more strongly, against tho United States. Mn. Roger B. Wood, President Wilson's Federal Attorney, in tho Forum of October last,' published two pages of what was nothing short of a. manifesto of warning to tho criminal' Germans within the States. "The time has come," Mr. Wood wrote, "when all who dwell within the confines of the 1 United States, be they rich or poor, high or low, white or black, of whatever' nationality and of whatever political crecd or religion," must not only obey tho letter of our laws, but must also respect the spirit of the laws and of our institutions. In the recent past we have haa glittering examples of aliens who, having lived hero for a considerable period, enjoying our hospitality and fortunes, under the protection of our Government, have .shown their contempt for our laws by violating them in the most flagrant- manner at a time wlien those in authority are facing the most serious problems that have arisen since the Civil War. All men of this character, and all who secretly applaud their actions, are a menace to the nation, and the sooner wo*are rid of them the better. These violations of the laws have served tho useful purpose of awakening us-to the danger that lurks within our borders, and I have no doubt steps will be. taken t<*prevent its spread."-: President AVilson's-words wero even more vivid and impressive.' After'stating that tho States' were at peace • with all nations, 'he proceeded to say that the gravest threats against their national peace and safety had been uttered within their own borders. There were naturalised citizens of the States, and citizens born under the flag of the States, "who," he went .on .to, declare, "have poured poison and .disloyalty. into the very arteries of our .'national' life, and who havo. sought to bring tho authority and good name of our Government into contempt, and to debase our policies to the uses of foreign intrigue." It would seem from the latest news to hand that very energetic efforts are being maclo to check any attempts at Teutonic violenco and outrage in the United States,_ but in. spite of the professed readiness of a section of the German-American population to assist America should she go to war with Germany, the task ahead of tho Washington authorities is a, difficult one. President Wilson will proba,bly..flnd it .necessary ere long .to .enforce.-. his.. threat., to ' 'promptly make .use of .'the processcs of law. whereby such • criminals may bo purged of their corrupt distemp'ors." ■ : •