Our English-language newspapers have been dealing very often lately with the immigration question. They have been noticing, with perhaps an extreme sensitivity, every manifestation forthcoming from immigrant groups, and have been turning the light on the relation of immigrants to their newly adopted country and to their own old homeland. The reason for this is undoubtedly the passionate devotion of German newspapers to the cause of the "Teutonic allies" in Europe. These papers glorify anything and everything that the German and Austrian armies do, even when their actions definitely damage the interests of the United States; and they criticize and disapprove of the steps taken by our President, Mr. Wilson, toward the defense of this country's interests if they feel that such steps may lessen the hopes of the Teutonic allies for final victory.

Thus the local Germans bring the suspicion of lack of patriotism, unreliability, and other more serious offenses against this country, on the whole immigrant population of the United States. That this is so is much to be regretted, and it is necessary that everything possible be done to counteract the evil. The Bohemians and other Slavic people are doing what they can, and the American public approves of their standpoint. Last Sunday, meetings were held by Slavs in Chicago, Boston, and elsewhere which adopted resolutions showing not only the attitude of Austro-Hungarian Slavs toward the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Dumba, his baiting, and the send-off he got from our Government, but also showing their attitude toward the whole war and the possible entanglement of our country in the Europeon struggle. No doubt more such meetings will be held throughout the country in all cities with sizeable Bohemian, Polish, Slovak, Croatian, and other Slavic settlements, so that the American public will know exactly where we 3stand.

Immigrants have many enemies even in normal times. These enemies have been keeping somewhat more quiet recently, but the arrogance of the German newspapers and the careless actions of Germans have given the enemies a welcome opportunity for renewed, daring attacks. That the immigration question has reached a very serious stage can be gathered from, in addition to other things, an article published by the Chicago Daily Tribune, admittedly a newspaper which has always endeavored to be just and impartial toward the immigrants. That article, entitled "Enemies within Our Gates," goes somewhat like this:

"It would be most regrettable if public opinion in the United States should be influenced or formed by viewpoints expressed so clearly at the convention of the 'Friends of Peace' which just now ended. The business of the convention was motivated by two principal considerations; a foreign nationalism and a desire 4for peace.

"It is not necessary to say a great deal about the latter.

The desire for peace is a result of idealism uncontrolled by common sense, and although it can be very noisy and cause all kinds of mischief, it cannot rely upon the support of the general public. In fact, public opinion mitigates it and prevents its worst effects.

"The former, the influence of a foreign nationalism, is, at least in these times, a much more serious and dangerous matter. For a movement whose purpose it is to influence public opinion favorably for the Germanic allies, except for some of its methods and means of expression, Americans who are not blindly partisan must feel a great deal of sympathy. It is entirely within the law and quite desirable that the German cause should be clearly explained in the United States, and that men of German blood and men who believe in and 5respect the German culture or the justification of the German intervention, be heard throughout the country.

"But much more than this must be said about the German and pro-German propaganda. The sudden outbreak of the war, the diplomatic steps preceding it, and the invasion of Belgium have caused a great deal of unfriendly feeling against Germany in our country. Germany has been very severely criticised by almost all our newspapers. German-American opinion was paralyzed for a while, but then came the unavoidable protest. In New York, where public opinion was most eccentric and was extremely partisan, a desperate attempt was made to counteract it, and a pro-German movement has been brought to life. The fact that this movement was in some of its phases too radical, rabid, ill-conceived, and from the American point of view, impudent, has been regretted even by the more sensible and loyal American Germans.

"An organization whose purpose it is to press for a political action that 6would put limitations on free American industry for the benefit of one or another European power is not only un-American, but anti-American. It infringes on American rights, its members act as Americans and deprive themselves of their privilege of being heard as Americans, by all of which they damage their own cause."

The above mentioned paper goes on talking about partisanship favoring the Allies, particularly the English, and says: "It must not be tolerated that the evil of foreign nationalism, that existed before the war and has been formed into a much hotter flame by the winds of that great catastrophe, should destroy our domestic peace and leave severe wounds that would take years to heal. Petty politicians, exploiters of the immigrants, economic and social conditions tending to keep the newcomers together--all this has conspired to retard, and to some extent, to make impossible, the natural process of unification. It represents a problem whose real significance 7was not revealed until the war broke out. Since immigration has grown over and above the limits of the assimilating ability of this Republic, it should be stopped for a time. We have been welcoming the peoples of all nations, but it was not to see them causing disunity in our midst. Jealousy and distrust, old rivalries, allegiance to a world they have left behind, have no place here.

"What this Republic needs at this time is the rebirth of singlehearted Americanism. That is needed right now and most of all, and it will be needed in the critical and difficult times which we are facing. Our Republic has never before had to solve problems of foreign and domestic policies of as vital importance for our present welfare and future progress as it has now. How can these problems be solved if we are disunited, divided? Shall our councils be dimmed by the affairs of foreigners? Shall we become a heterogenous conglomeration, or one nation working loyally and energetically on its own 8fate?"

These are plain words that need no explanation. In a paper as serious and as friendly toward the immigrants as the Tribune, they have a greatly increased significance. It is up to our Germans to take notice of this "Mene-Tekel" appearing publicly in newspapers that have been friendly to them and to all immigrants, and to stop endangering themselves and all other immigrants by their passionate partisanship in which they forget not only all decency but also discretion; and to stop endangering all the ideals which are dear to all our immigrant citizens.