The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-05-06
The Mennonifcs.
Speech OF Senator Cameron.

) Speech OF Senator Cameron
WASHINGTON, April 25.-The fol
lowing is Senator Cemaron's speech
on the bill granting public lands to
the MennOnites of Russia. Mr..
Cameron said:
| think, Mr.. President, if Senators
knew these people as do, in place OF
making objections to their coming
here, they would give them all the
facilities they could possibly desire
We have a very large number OF
these people in Pennsylvania. They
are among the best of our citizens.
They are nearly all farmers. Their
farms are the most highly cultivated
of all our lands in Pennsylvania, and
| think our lands are as well cultiva-
ted as any that | have seen in any
part Of the world These people
came TO Pennsylvania about 1924 or
1925, and the proprietor, one of the
Penns, authorized them to select
lands just where they pleased in any
quantities they thought proper, and
he charged them one shilling an acre
and no more. They have increased
and multiplied They went to Ian
caster County first, and now a num-
Der Of them are in almost every coun-
ty in the State, especially where
there is good land. They have fam
cy for limestone valleys, and wherev-
er there is fine limestone country,
there have the descendants Of the
early Mennonites gone. They never
interfere with anybody they pay
their debts; and they take care of
their own poor. In time of war,
whenever they are called upon, they
pay such taxes as the government
asks Of them, they go into the hos
pitals and become nurses and during
the rebellion q great many of the
young men went out and bore arms
for the country. Not one refused to
send substitute, or if the govern
ment preferred taking thousand dol
lars to get a substitute, frequently
they paid thousand dollars for that
purpose. They made no complaint
they were all loyal and faithful to the
government. So entirely are they
believed to be honest that they can
borrow money anywhere without Sc
curity. They are a thrifty, laborious,
saving people. Now they are cult
waiting the school system. There is not
a township in the counties in which
they reside but has got large num-
Der of school houses of the best kind
with all the advantages which Silence
has furnished to those who build
school-houses They are hospitabdl.
You cannot go to their houses with
out receiving a portion of what they
have, and they never charge anybody
for the entertainment which they fur
nish. do not believe there is bet
ter class Of people in the world than
are the German Mennonites.
In the early settlement OF our
country the settlements were made
everywhere by colonies. In the lower
part of northampton County Pennsyl-
vania, the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians
settled in Chester County the Qua
kers went; and in Lancaster County
the Mennonites. On the other side of
the Susquehanna River the whole
country was settled by Scotch and
Irish. Everywhere the early settlers
came in colonies, and everywhere they
were we'll received. 1t is natural
that these Mennonites shonld desire
to come with their own people. they
do not care about any particular form
of this law. What they want princi- |
pally is that they may have two years
to select their land in, and they desire |
that because the gentlemen who have |
come here desire to go home and tell
their people what they have seen, to
relate to them the advantages of our
country, and induce them TO leave the |
location where they are.
The Emperor of Russia, as it is
said, regrets very much that he is |
compelled to part with them. He |
does so because his mobiles are not |
willing that any set of people should |
be in the country who are not will
ling to become Russianized. They |
desire them to adopt the Russian |
tongue and become members of the
Greek Church. | do not think, if the
Emperor Alexander were at liberty to |
use his own individual judgment, he
would permit them to go at all. He
would certainly find great advantage |
in keeping them there where they are
settled now There are seven or eight |
colonies in the neighborhood of the
Black Sea or perhaps nearer to the
Sea of Azof. They cultivate, some
Of them, wheat, many of them are
herdsmen some are shepards, and |
all Of them are thrifty and prosper
Ous About forty thousand now are
willing to come The number there
IS much larger than that. They do
not intend all 10 settle in the same
place A large number of them have
already purchased land or made
for purchasing land, in
some in Dakota, and 9TH
srs desire to go to Iowa, Ne
Draska, Kansas and the Indian coun-
.ry. | am sure that wherever they
20 they will be blessing to the
in which they think
proper to settle.
A Detroit paper noting the fact
hat man fell down dead while