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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1926)
March 1926 Page Three THE UNITED AMERICAN lllllllillilllllllllllllllllllllll|||illl|||||)||||||||llll)||||||||||||||||||||||||IIUIIIIIIIIt|llll||lllllij|||||||lllllll|lllllllllllimilllllllllllllllllllll U^ The Primaries REGARDLESS of the faction- al tugging at the lines, we shall, in all probability, retain and safeguard the instrumentalities of self-government in America which permit free and untram meled popular expression. The di rect primary election methods may not suit those who belong to the convention school of thought, ’but there is little likelihood that the people will give up any of the prerogatives of the primary. America’s government is built on a representative plan, but the right to elect the representa tives rests with the people. Every citizen of America has a right to offer himself to his con stituency as a candidate for po litical service, subject to the laws governing qualifications for office. Citizens, or groups of citizens, have the right to issue recom mendations of candidates in the field, but the people are jealously guarding the right of choice and elimination. The doctrines of party must hereafter become popular issues, or party government in America will come to have little signifi cance in the choice of represen tatives. A party cause is no longer an issue with a few; if it is to succeed, it must be placed squarely before the people and cloaked in language that is un mistakably clear. The people have outgrown the party bosses. They prefer to make the candidate for office re sponsible to the people rather than to the bosses of the party, who are responsible to no one. There are no roads leading back , to either the party caucus or the party “convention.” These instruments are a thing of the past. The middle man has been dismissed. In his manipu lations he failed to recognize the rights of the people and the people in turn abolished his of fice and took away his power. The direct primary, however, calls for greater individual re sponsibility and greater individ ual political intelligence. Only those who give thought and at tention to political issues and men will help to strengthen gov ernment in America. Those who are careless and indifferent will be responsible should we fail. AMERICAN A Magazine of Good Citizenship Issued Monthly in the Interest of Americanizat|on and Adult Education H. J. LANGOE, Editor Associate Editors: Robert G. Deming, State Director of Americanization, State of Connecticut (President Department Adult Education, National Education Ass’n. U. S.) William Chandler Smith, Chief State Bureau Immigrant Education, New York (Chairman Editorial Board “Interstate Bulletin”) Charles M. Herlihy, State Superviser Adult Alien Education, Massachusetts R. E. Dugdale, Director Extension Dept., Board of Education, Toledo, Ohio Geo. A. Green, Director Citizens’ Bureau, Immigrant Aid, Cleveland, Ohio A. C. Strange, Oregon State Director of Americanization Schools, Portland, Or. Publishers: The Northman Publishing Company (Inc.) Officers: H. J. Langoe, President; B. G. Skulason, Sec-Treasurer Offices and Publishing House Labbe Building, 227% Washington Street, Portland, Oregon Phone Broadway 6600 Vol. 4 Volume 22 March, 1926 Number 6 CONTENTS EDITORIAL SUBJECTS— The Americanization Preceptor who Speaks without Know ledge; How Slow is Thy Pace, 0 American Justice; An Im migrant with a Will to Succeed; Those who Protect us while we Sleep; Not for Self but for Others, etc......................... THE PRIMARIES ...................................... By H. J. Langoe WHERE SELF-GOVERNMENT BEGINS AND ENDS ...___ :.. By H. J. Langoe OUR IMMIGRANTS ................................ By Ginty Beynon, in “The Independent” THE MAKING OF AMERICAN CITIZENS ..................................... By A. C. Strange, Oregon State Director of Americanization THE COMMONWEALTH OF OREGON ...................... .................... By A. C. Strange, Oregon State Director of Americanization AND THEY, TOO,, WILL BE THE AMERICAN CITIZENS O!F TOMORROW ..................... . ............................................... '... COTTAGE CLASSES FOR ADULTS IN CALIFORNIA................. By Flora D. Smith, Americanization Director, Los Angeles CHALLENGING THE ACCLAIM OF THE NORDIC ..................... By Konrad Bercovici, in “The Nation” OVERCOMING ILLITERACY BY THE MONTESSORI METHOD By Irma Weill, Home Teacher, Los Angeles, California TEACHING IMMIGRANTS ETIQUETTE IN NIGHT SCHOOLS.. By Grace R. Southwick, Adult Education, Santa Barbara, Cal. QUESTION AND ANSWER PAGE FOR FOREIGN BORN........... . BITS OF HUMOR FOR THE HOME CIRCLE... . . ....................... 10-12 3 5-6 7 8 9 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Subscriptions, twelve issues, TwoDollars yearly; single copies, twenty cents. Remit by United States Mone y Order, Express Money Order or Check. In Canada and other foreign countries, belonging to the Postal Union, fifty cents additional should be added. Back numbers, not over three months old, twenty-five cents; more than three months, One Dollar each. Instructions for change of address should be sent two weeks in ad vance of mailing. Always give old address, as well as the new, and al ways write plainly. The Editor will be glad to consider contributions; but a stamped and addressed envelope must be inclosed, if the return of unavailable manu scripts is desired. Entered as Second Class Mail Matter in the Post Office at Portland, Oregon, under the Act of Congress of March Third, 1879.