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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1922)
6 THE WESTERN AMERICAN history irrevocably repeats itself, nor that history “hath but one page.” We, of America, believe that man, by his divine right, by his great entellect and his indomitable strength is free to work out his own destiny, indi vidually and collectively, that he is not bound by tra ditions to repeat the thoughts and acts of his fore bears, good or ill, but that he, by his own advanced intellect, should stand supreme, immune to the pas sions of lust and vengeance that have marred the trail of ancestral traditions, the challenger of evil and the champion of good, the opponent of oppres sion and cruelty and the exponent of Justice, humb ling himself for no one. but his Creator. Wie, of America, believe that the progress of de mocracy is irresistible; that notwithstanding the re peated rehearsals of the past, reactionary tenden cies here and there, we are constantly moving on ward toward the better and more perfect day. Moved by this faith the flower of our citizen ship crossed the seas to subdue the menace that arose in Europe and for this faith it shall continue to be our duty to work during periods of war and periods of peace. Mindful of the fact that the old world sings un abated, with one accord, the hymn of hate against America, we should continue all the more to exem plify the redeeming qualities of the principles that have built us a nation, the principles that have raised us from serfdom to freedom, from subjects to sovereigns. An all embracing unity within molding every racial strain into conformity, without destroying its virtues, is the miracle that America represents. The first duty of every American.is, therefore, to help overcome .the discordant strains within, not by coersion or forcé, not by exclusion or threats of ex clusion, but by that conquering force of human com passion, helpfulness and kindliness, that so charac terized the lives of the great Americans of the past that the name America, figuratively speaking, be came an illuminating sign in the firmament, lighting the way to the haven of human deliverance. This thought should be kept in view by the public prints of the country,—every newspaper, every magazine, no matter what may be its particular field of activity, for in this lies the spirit of Amer icanism which must be upheld first and foremost if our nation is to press forward and endure. This is the spirit that must characterize America, if her influence is to be felt, when the old world, in its bewilderment and continued rehearsals of the past, shall come to another crossroad, when her diplomacy fails and her nations and peoples, moved by intolerance and unabated animosity, again shall fling themselves at the throats of one another. America needs spokesmen today as never before to aid in the process of welding the many separate entities, within our national confine, into the common unity that is needed to increase our strength as a nation. America needs honest interpreters today to keep in check the sinister isms that are casting their spell over certain elements of our people, by sustain ing a well defined Americanism in which there is working room for all assimilable elements in Amer- October, 1922 ica, regardless whether they are American 'born or claim America by choice. * * * Western America, which only a short time ago was commonly called “the Wild West” and more defi nitely described as a broad stretch of frontier camps, inhabited by frontier men, has rightly come to be regarded as the most typically American part of America, its people having a stamp of rugged ness reflecting the rugged contour of that so-desig nated part of the American hemisphere. Western America should rightfully be the hub of sound American thinking, the temple of a well de fined Americanism, possible only where the process of Americanization has received the proper atten tion and been given the proper impetus in public opinion. ♦ ♦ ♦ This magazine, continuing another publication, has adopted the title “The Western American.” It is a product of the West, growth of Western soil. Its particular mission will be to define true Americanism, not the selfish, arrogant kind, of clan or creed, but the kind of American ism that encompasses every assimilable element, an Americanism that will stand the test of constitu tional measurement. The Western American is a successor to The Northman, a publication that for three years has done pioneer work in, Americanization, bridging dif ferences, and opening avenues of approach between citizens of native and foreign birth. The Western American will take up the work where The Northman left off, going into a broader field, building the bridge that is to carry the alien and the citizen of alien speech and attitude of mind across into the atmosphere of American thought and that closer affiliation necessary to true Naturali zation. The Western American will attempt to interpret to the alien of every race, the true ideals of Amer ica, the American national viewpoint and the sound reasons for the unalterable requirements that must be met today by anyone wishing to share in the citi zen spirit of the greater body of Americans, whose citizenship is the sustaining force of the Con stitutional concept upon which American stands. The Western American will also, as far as its in fluence shall extend, attempt to change the common viewpoint regarding qualifications to citizenship. Mere knowledge of rudimentary facts concerning our governmental institutions is not enough, for this is no guaranty that the erratic alien views and for eign expressions have been weeded out. While this knowledge properly constitutes an es sential, the applicant’s attitude of mind must be the first and foremost requirement for citizenship: no alien maintaining an arrogant foreign viewpoint, having actual contempt for American governmental institutions, should be able to obtain a certificate of American citizenship in any court of this land. The Western American will Conduct a department reviewing the proceedings of the naturalization courts, in Oregon and other Western states. These proceedings should be of more than passing interest; they are worthy of the earnest attention of the public at large. * ♦ ♦ There are children numbering into the millions in America, descendants of foreign born, who grievously
