The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-01-09
ESTABLISHED
OUR COUNTRY.

The close of an old year and the usher
ing in of new, is time when people
allow their minds TO drift from every
day toll and business care To themes of
more general Importance and subjects
which are not limited to the small sphere
in which they move from day to day. In
glancing over various exchanges we have
seen nothing of a more striking character
than an account of a meeting of two
thousand British subjects in Rochdale,
England, held for the purpose of hearing
the views of Mr.. Thomas B. Potter, an
English NJ. r. who recently returned
from this country, having spent several
months on our soil Investigating the
character and status of our institutions.
Mr.. Potter made u short but compliment
tary speech, among other things advising
his hearers, "who had time and oppor-
tunity, to visit the States in order that
they might find out and adopt every
thing that was good" "He had noticed
with satisfaction the absence OF class
feeling, every man being equal and no
one thinking himself above another
Being a nation of workers they were the
most formidable competitors in all in
dustries in the world, and in this they
were peculiarly successful owing to the
excellence of their education"
Mr.. Potter was followed in q lengthy
addres by that eminent English phila0-
thropist John Bright, whose utter
10 I'm
mOnplace, or rs emanating from
mere political demagogue Mr.. Brights
words to his countrymen have clear
ring, and evince mt once 4 thorough
knowledge of our government, and the
means by which we have been enabled
40 one short century to out-rival our
nNther country, both in the development
natural resources and material growth.
Nalludes first 10 prophetic voices"
which, in poetic language, foretold Of a
future great world in unknown regions;
then to the discovery of a country which,
excluding British and South Americas,
and speaking OF the United States alone,
is fifteen times as large as France or Ger
Amany. He was not obliviOns to the fact
y, Ito use his own expresSiOn) They
e done good many considerable
hgs. Within the past fifty years they
built $4,000 miles of railroad /;
the past twenty years have given
to over 100000 negroes, and
cendants for ever. In this great
built up large public debt
II most people in England
Gould not, and would not
pay. But what have they
IN thirteen or fourteen years
We paid Off more than $l5O,OOO,-
hat debt, and by redeeming their
H have been enabled to Dor
row money at lower rate OF
interest, and .have thus reduced the an
aual interest, payable by the government,
! over $1S,O0O,OOO They disbanded their
Narmy of 100000 men and now have n
force of only $4,000 men. 1t is not
maintained for the purpose of war abroad,
Icheersl nor for the suppression of liber-
ty at home. Icheers.l And yet there Is
no country in the world which is more
universally respected throughout the
globe than the United States"
The above are only few OF the many
good things these great Englishman had
to say of us and our country, and they
are peculiarly forcible, coming as they
do from leaders Of the greatest empire
on the globe-an empire which has, in
the past, looked upon as, not as an
equal, but as an inferior country, liza
bile to totter and fall at the slightest
commotion.