Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-10-28
Bob IngersOll's Views on our Country,
its Greatness and its Dangers.

The following is from Col Bob lngersolls
speech at Gloucester, Mass. not long since
Everything in this world that il good for
anything has 10 be defended Everything
that is good has TO be taken care Of Every
thing that is bad will take care Of itself
[Applause.l There is the same difference
between virtue and vice, between truth and
falschood, a. there is between grain and
wheat. We have to plow the land, We have
to SOW seed, and We have, with great labor
and Inti2ite patience, TO guard the crop
against anything that might injure; while
weeds and dog iennel. sovn by chance and
cared for by accident, will grow on the com
mon highway. And exactly SO it is with
everything Of account in th, world Tn.
battle is never over; the battle for the right
Is never won, fight as long as YOU NAV and
the argument will not be finished. After
four years OF war in the United States the
questions that We endeayored to settle by
the sword are as open, as unsettled a. they
were in 1859. These questions must be set
tied, not only By the bayonet, but by argu-
ment There is no argument in war, no
logic in the sword. All that war settles is
who is the stronger of the contestants.
War makes them stop and listen. War
gives the successful party the floor in order
to present his argument and the result is to
be argued, not fought out. So TODAY We
are arguing on this side, in the defense of
which millions of men risked their lives,
and the question is just as open and unset
tied tonight as it was then. We have got a
country which is. in my opinion, the best in
this world. hold all forms of government
in sublime contempt except the republican
form of government. Applause. UTTERLY
detest every system of government that is
not founded on the legally expressed will of
a majority Of the people. lApplause.l |
look upon kings and princes and noblemen
as men in the livery of larceny. wearing the
insignia of robbery. am proud | am an
American, and that live in a civilized eoun-
try. When | speak of a free country,
coniine myself TO the northern and western
states of this republic. Applause.l This
is in my opinion the best government in the
world simply because it gives the best
chance to every human being. 1t is the best
country simply because there is more liberty
here than there is anywhere else; simply
because life, liberty and property are better
secured in the northern and western states
of this Union than in any other portion of
the habitable globe.
| love this country because it gives to the
lowest equal opportunity with the greatest.
The avenues to distinction are open to all.
We have taken the failures of other coun-
tries ; We have taken the men who could not
succeed in England we have taken the men
who have been robbed and trampled upon
we have taken them into this country, and
the second generation are superior to the
nobility Of the country from which their
fathers emigrated. [Cheers.l We have
taken the Irishmen, robbed; We have taken
the foreigner from the almshouse, and we
have turned their rags into robes We have
transformed their novels and huts into pal
aces; out Of their paupers We have made
patriotic, splendid men. That is what we
have done in this country. We have given
to everybody in the Union, in the states to
which ! have referred, equal opportunities to
attain distinction. That is the reason like
this country.
like this country because the homes and
industrious man is a noblsman. l like it
because a man, no matter how poor he may
be, whether a merchant or clerk, can go
home at night, take his tow-headed bov on
his knee, and say to him: "John, the pub
lie schools and every avenue of distinction
are open to you. Your father NAV be ig-
norant he may not be good at figures; but
you may rise to the highest Office within the
gift of civilized people," [Applause and
ehrsrs.l We don't know how good this