Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-19

city is governed by a foreign host without
reason or principle. 1t is more like a greai
wild beast than anything else. The city
governs the State the State usually deter
mines the general election. So the Presi
dent of the United States may be said t.
be chosen by an ignorant, vicious mob
This is surely comforting reflection for I
native American citizen of mind and char
acter."
You seem to me to exaggerate. The
very bad foreigners who are politically &C
tive here are few, imagine. You wouldn'i
certainly ostracize all foreigners because
some of them have grave faults p
" Not for the reason you assign, North
rup. But, if 1 had my way, I'd confer
political privileges on no more foreigners.
They might come here and welcome but
they shouldn't vote. I wouldn't deprive
those who have been naturalized of the
franchise; but l wouldn' increase the num-
ber."
You would injure the country irrepar,
able. Foreigners have been of untold ad.
vantage to us.
eyes, in the past. The trainers of the
Constitution were wise to invite them hith-
er, and offer them citizenship. Butthey could
not see the future; they did not anticipate
our growth and greatness. II they had
done so, they would, doubtless, have
limited naturalization. am not sure that
it wouldn't be well, if we could build an
insurmountable wall around the Republic,
shutting out all foreigners. Then we could
develop entirely from within. The present
danger is, unquestionably, from foreigners
of the ignorant kind"
"Would you exclude foreigners from
your new order of things in 1902"
"No; my idea about foreigners is, as I
may say, only private and individual. l
shouldn't introduce it into any political
scheme l should have admitted to the
elective franchise in 1880 all educated
adults, irrespective Of creed, race or sex.
Intelligence means morality. The Re-
public would be safe in the hands of edu-
Gated citizens. Culture is salvation, in the
best sense it is all that the world needs,
the assurance OF the highest and most gen:
eral civilization. "
"Have you any belief that the 1880 plan
could ever be adopted, Rivers?"
sit couldn't be now it might be then /;
for the world, especially the American
world, moves rapidly"
81 beg to differ from you. The plan
might be accepted to-day, as it would af-
feet only unborn generations. When the
time had actually arrived, the plan would
be rejected for the future would then
have become the present. The People
would be opposed"
"The demagogues, you mean, Northrup /;
they are always the obstacles to true pro-
gress. But they are steadily losing their
hold. As public intelligence rises, they
decline. In another century, they will, in
my Judgment, have little influence. I am
too good an American to despair of the
Republic. We Americans, although ap-
pearances may contradict, are among
the most conservative of nations. They
who talk of anarchy, military government,
dictatorships and the like, are either insin-
cere or incapable of understanding our peo.
pie. may have written that sort of thing
myself but it was all for effect. As an
American citizen, 1 have unbounded faith
in our future and permanence.
"And speaking outside of party, Rivers, P"
as he grasped his hand, 81 agree with you
entirely
TTIo he coDfinued I