Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-05-12
Am Abstract of the Lecture OF Anna
Dickinson. mt Cast.etOn.
March so, 1870.

Miss Dickinson began with reference to
the wonderful extent and variety of Amer
lean resources and American scenery this
side of the Pacific, to the sense of endless
ness that chiefly strikes one in the long
overland Journey. Describing the unde-
veloped wealth of the western wilderness,
she brought forward as the agent in its
evolution the 10000 foreigners, Lascars,
Cinnamon, etc, on the Pacific Coast, the
huge hungry multitude who seek for en-
ployment and bread, constantly coming,
crowd upon crowd-did we so desire we
could not stop or stay them. They are
here-what do we propose to do with
them? Are they brought here to be ele-
waited, ennobled, or the reverse? We
Americans say that here is the noblest re-
public in the world, the refuge of the op-
pressed Glittering generalities, uttered
while remote people and problems are bat
tering at our doors Are we to see in
these emigrants equals and brothers /?
Are our laws to be submitted to a MAORI
ty who don't understand the language in
which they are drafted Surely we are
as ready to be governed by Asia as New
York is to be governed by Ireland. ZAP
plause. We ask, Are our social, moral,
political and educational questions to be
submitted to men who have the culture
and training of heathenism Looking at
this vast foreign element in our midst,
we ask, Is this Government to be a Gov
eminent of the people or of the Best
ourselves, Americans ? IF this ignorant
majority is to be admitted to all those
privileges which we boast of effording,
then every American owes more to his
country than he has ever seen fit to pay
down. 1t is asserted that we are quite
large and strong enough to swallow and
digest all that is sent us-that our great
teachers are the primary meetings and the
ballot box. What manner of teaching is
the black man receiving then, and the
Asiatic? A teaching of fraud, of wrong,
of ignorance and oppression, of prejudice,
"a prejudice as senseless as it is malig-
nant and cruel These people and their
children will govern you and your land
in the future. Nations and in
dividuals reap as they SOW. These
primary meetings, these polls, are
to every ignorant foreigner, schools
of fraud, bribery, and bravado
Who governs America The people? No
body believes it. 1t is governed by base
politicians The mass of honorable intel
igent men don't go to primary meetings !;
they consider their duty done if they go
to the polls on election mornings. Mean
while, those meetings are crowded by the
vile politicians, by the ignorant foreign
ers, and the political platform is built OF
rotten planks. To the honorable, intelli-
gent man is left no more freedom of choice
than galley-slavez would have. He
votes straight ticket for men he despises
and distrusts, for measures his conscience
condemns; either that, or he scratches"
his ballot, 'bolts," or throws away his
vote. Without any freedom of conscience
whatever he prostitutes his vote or he
loses it. We boast that America is syno-
nymous with everything that is grand
and beautiful, because it is America, the
great Republic. We are no nearer the
heart of the Great Father than any other
people. We are fortunate in having Re-
public free from old traditions, unrestrain-
ed by dead ways and presidents; fortu-