A movement is now afoot in Germany to retain the German emigrants as citizens of the Reich. It is considered a heavy loss to the Fatherland that those who emigrate to another country-and they are many-sever their political connections with their old homeland. It has been pointed out that the English emigrants added to the development of the British Empire, when they settled in Canada or in Australia. They did so in their own interest but remained loyal to their country.

It is rather late to make these observations now. England has been a world power for some time, and her colonies are of vital importance to her. Surrounded by water as she is it is only natural that English emigrants wish to settle in her possessions across the sea. Germany's sea coast on the contrary is a small area. Notwithstanding this obstacle, German spirit and diligence have made progress and are recognized in all foreign countries.

Then too, the advantages which England is supposed to derive from her colonies are over-estimated.

It is as useless to grieve over Germany's sharing in the spoils of the work. It would be futile now for Germany to try to recapture the lost opportunity.

Germany, as indicated at the outset of this article is anxious to induce the German immigrant to refrain from political participation in his adopted homeland; in other words to remain loyal to Germany. The Koelnische Zeitung expressed the opinion that the German immigrant in the United States could easily be won over to this scheme. To accomplish this, it is imperative that the immigrant should be kept under the watchful eyes of an organization, which in turn would nurture his loyalty to the Reich. The German influence in Washington would be equally as important.

They expect our American government to give its assistance to a certain people, so that it may build a state within a state. And what about the immigrant? Would he not encounter material hardships by such isolation? It is not clear to us of what advantage such a procedure would be to Germany.

As a matter of fact, as naturalized American citizens they are much more useful to Germany. They are voters then, and as such can influence the government. The welfare of the country will always be the first concern of our Federal government, and it will always advocate fair dealings with the German-American citizens.

The explanation for the present German movement is that the immigrant is completely absorbed by this nation. The German-American is not the type of man eager to sever ties with his native land. His interest in Germany will always persist. What he has achieved in the interest of his people surpasses everything ever accomplished by any nationality at any time.

Official recognition of the German language is also due to the tireless efforts of the German-Americans. Our educational system has included the study of this language in the curriculum of the public schools.

And there is still another thing; compare our German-American press with that of Germany, and it will be seen that the former enjoys a much wider 4circulation. There are thousands of German societies throughout the country which use the German language exclusively.

Yes, Germany is represented at her best in the United States.