The hyphenated Americans are a great source of worry right now for the "genuine" Americans. As we all know, this is always the case when the Germans in America try to stand up for their rights, but this time the anxiety is much greater than usual because the German voice sounds louder than ever. One just does not stop to ascertain the fact that there are so many people in this country who consider it good or necessary to emphasize their origin, but one tries--and this is typically American--to find the causes for this fact....

For instance, a great Chicago newspaper asked "What makes for hyphenated Americanism," after pointing out that hyphenated Americans were found not only among the immigrants but among the natives as well. Of course the answer could not be found. The paper said, however, that the politicians encouraged hyphenated Americanism and had organized it in the large cities. There was a German 2vote, an Irish vote, a Polish vote, a Swedish vote, and so on. Certain men were put on the ballots for political jobs not on account of their ability and efficiency but solely because they were the representatives of racial groups. But it is not claimed that this was the main reason for hyphenated Americanism.

"We all know", the paper says, "that this is not so. We know that bad consequences for our country and public life in general will result, that it will only raise irrelevant problems and unnecessary difficulties". And then they asked: "Will this evil be fostered and strengthened by the war?" A definite answer like "yes" or "no" is not given of course, again in true American fashion. A conditional answer is ventured, which of course is no answer at all and is not supposed to be one. It is merely an urgent exhortation to all hyphenates to reflect and to mend their ways.

Questions call for answers. There are questions, to be sure, for which a succinct and definite answer can not be supplied; some, perhaps, cannot be answered at all; 3but the questions: "What makes for hyphenated Americanism?" and "Will this evil become worse on account of the war?" do not belong in this category. To answer these questions is easy and simple enough. To be precise, the answer to the first question should be: The Anglomania of the so-called "real" Americans, particularly the Anglomania of the English language press, is responsible for hyphenated Americanism. And to answer the second question: Yes, the war is bound to foster and strengthen hyphenated Americanism.

Because of the absence of a strong and genuine Americanism, hyphenation flourished. Because genuine Americanism has deteriorated during the past decades, hyphenated Americanism was able to grow. Because our English language press and the so-called influential social set of our country became less American and more English in tone and attitude, citizens of non-English origin tended to display their descendancy, and emphasized their racial stock by referring to themselves as German, Irish, Polish, and Swedish-American, and so on. The war will aggravate this condition, because it revealed the thoroughly British 4attitude of our English language press, because it proved the allegedly "true" Americanism to be a disguised Anglomania for the most part, displaying a slave-like servility to British interests.

Every hypenated American is a living protest against the Anglicization of America as it is fostered by our English language press and a large portion of allegedly "true" Americans. And the hyphenated Americans and their sympathizers among the natives will grow rapidly in number if these attempts at Anglicization continue; a decrease of hyphenated Americanism can only be hoped for if Anglicization ceases, if the press and the more or less prominent and influential sections of America realize that to be English is not to be American. True, red blooded Americanism can never develop as long as this great Republic continues to be England's vassal economically, politically, and in attitude.

Millions of Germans who crossed the ocean to establish a new home here were, with hardly an exception, ardent admirers of this great and free Republic. They had 5firmly made up their minds to become good and true Americans. And they became just that--true Americans and not pseudo-Americans. They turned out to be better Americans than their fellow citizens of English blood and heritage because they never tried to put this great Republic in a state of political dependency to Germany....On behalf of Americans of German origin in particular, we have this to say: that they were compelled to emphasize their German origin by the hostile attitude which they had to suffer on account of their German racial stock, by the gross injustice of an Anglophile press and of British minded, so-called "true" Americans against Germany and everything German. Any German-American who has been in this country for any length of time can easily trace the development of hyphenated Americanism on himself. At first, full of enthusiasm for this great and free Republic, all his efforts were directed towards becoming a true American. After he had acquired the language and become familiar with the country, the people, and their attitude and mentality, he started to become German again, and the more successful he had been before the quicker and more thorough was this process of reversion, the more clearly he recognized that 6the Americanism of this country, within the press and among prominent social sections, was not what it pretended to be, that it was nothing but Britishism in disguise.

Is hyphenated Americanism strengthened by the war? Yes--or to be more correct, it had been gaining right along. Whether it will keep on growing, depends. Yes, in case England should be victorious. No, if, as we wish and hope, the Germans defeat their enemies gloriously. In the latter case a strong, true, and independent Americanism will have a chance to develop. For America, a German victory would be a great blessing--would seem necessary for her welfare.