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Show BETTER. A.VERIC4.XS? You whose forefathers landed ou . Plymouth Rock, or who signed the Declaration of Independence, or who lought in the War of the Revolution you who pride yourselves upon being be-ing native born Americans of several r. -nerations, are you good Ameri-i Ameri-i ..ns? Are you as good! Americans as ivany who were born in other countries coun-tries but who have become Ameri-n.n Ameri-n.n citizens through naturalization? f you were told by an American iiizen of foreign birth that he is a better American than are you, would it not startle you? Which is the better bet-ter American? The best American i he who tries tii make America better. He does not do it by inveighing against the party ;:i power, or against, our laws, or :.;;ainst the way matters are hand-W.ut hand-W.ut in the handling or manage ment of which he takes no part. He does not do it by crying out against corruption in politics, but refraining from voting. Yet that is exactly what some of the members of the old American Am-erican families do. They remain away aw-ay from the polls, take no part in governmental affairs, yet complain if things do not go to suit them. Not so the naturalized Americans. They do not fail to vote. They are proudl to exercise the privilege of citizenship to become literally one of the rulers of the land. The man who does not vote is not one of the "government by the people," for he takes no part in the government. It is true that he may demand and receive re-ceive the protection of the government, govern-ment, but what does he do to desrve it? These thoughts are called forth by hearing a report of a meeting between be-tween an American of the seventh j generation and a naturalized American Ameri-can who had just returned from a v i i t. to the country in which he was born. He told of being turned out of a hotel at night because he did not rise and stand at attention when a general entered the room. And the country in question is supposed to be a republic. He had many other disagreeable experiences abroad, and came back home a bettr and more patriotic American. To the "seventh son" he said: "I am a be;ter Ap:eri-can Ap:eri-can than you are." That man of foreign birth will register in the coming election. "Will you? At least half of you will not. if the future may be judged by the past. The campaign of 1U20 was an active and interesting one. Questions affecting the domestic and foreign policies of this government were at issue, and yet not one-half of those entitled to vote cast their ballots in the election of 1920. True Americanism requires that every patriotic-American who wishes to see the Republic endure shall register and vote at the coming national na-tional election. Every new citizen will vote, and if those whose ancestors ances-tors helped to found . this government govern-ment do not do likewise, then the the heading of this editorial is that the naturalized citizens are "Better Americans." |