Wednesday, October 9, 1901 - Page 4, column 6, top to bottom

The German-American National Confederacy

In the following our reader discovers the Constitution of the German-American National Confederacy of the United States, which was established this week in Philadelphia and which will hopefully expand into New York State. The Constitution states:

The German-American National Confederacy of the United States consists of a state-wide assembly of German societies, lodges and clubs.

The Confederacy strives to awaken a sense of unity in the people of German ancestry in America and to promote a more advantageous and healthy development which, when centralized, may lend its inherent strength towards a communal, energetic safeguard of justified wishes and interests, which are not in conflict with the common good of this land or the rights and duties of good citizens. The Confederacy strives to resist Nativistic encroachment and to establish and insure healthy, friendly relationships in America with the old German fatherland. German immigration has contributed to the furtherance of the spiritual and economic development of this land and it is called upon to continue its contribution. History teaches us and proves that German immigrants have stood faithfully by this country in good times and bad.

The Confederacy promotes the full, honorable recognition of this service and fights all attempts to minimize it. For all time we have been true to the adopted fatherand and we stand ready to give the utmost for its welfare, we have righteously and selflessly exercised our duties as citizens and subjects of its laws, no matter the cost!

The Confederacy does not intend to facilite any special interests, nor establish a state within a state. It seeks merely to centralize the German population as the shortest way and most secure means towards the achievement of its clearly stated goals. For this reason the Confederacy urges all German societies — as organized representatives of the German Community — to cooperate for its healthy and strong development and to further become responsible for the building of organizations for the preservation of German-American interests in all states of the union. All inclusive centralization of these organizations may bring about a great German-American Confederacy, which then charges each German association in turn to propagate the organization in its state. The Confederacy charges itself with the duty of using all legitimate means in every instance to maintain and broaden its principles and to defend those principles steadfastly whenever and wherever they are assailed. With this the Confederacy sets down the following platform:

1. The Confederacy - such as it is - is made up of a conglomeration of the political parties; it unashamedly maintains its rights and duties to defend its tenets in the political arena should it be molested or assailed through political aggression or reprimand.

2. Questions and matters of religion are strictly excluded.

3. It recommends the introduction of instruction of the German language in public schools for the following broad-based reasons: Along with English German is a world language; in the most remote corners of the world wherever the pioneers of civilization, commerce and trade are found, there the people of both these tongues are represented. Wherever communal ties exist, it's easier to build self-sufficient, clear and unbiased understanding and thus accomplish mutually beneficial and friendly relationships.

4. We live in an age of progress and discovery, in a time of rapid change, relentless in its demands upon individuals. With increased physical exertion there are increased demands upon bodily strength. A healthy mind must reside in a healthy body! For this reason the Confederacy strives for the introduction of systematic and purposeful gymnastics instruction in the public schools.

5.The Confederacy further calls for the liberation of schools from politics. Only an educational system free of political influences can offer the people a true institution for learning.

6. It encourages all Germans to acquire their citizenship as soon as it is legally possible to do so, to participate in the political process and to fearlessly do their duty at the polls and thus exert their influence.

7. It recommends a liberal and timely change to or repeal of those laws which needlessly impede and signnificantly hinder the acquisition of citizenship — Good reputation, impeccable conduct, a respect for the law should decide, not the ability to answer or not answer certain favorite and select questions based on confusing politics or history.

8. It takes a stand against the limiting of the immigration of healthy men from Europe with the exception of convicted criminals and anarchists.

9. It calls for the repeal of those laws which no longer pertain to current modes of thought and which curtail free trade and limit the freedom of its citizens.

10. It recommends the establishment of associations for continuing education as a way of fostering German language and literature, of broadening the education of those seeking knowledge and of sponsoring lectures on art and science and questions of general interest.

11. It recommends the systematic application of all German sources of information on the development of the adopted fatherland in war and peace from the earliest days on in order to establish and continue a German-American history.

12. It reserves the right to broaden or to supplement the scope of this platform as new events make it desireable or necessary.

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