The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-07-04
TIE BARTHOLDI STATUE.

Mr.. Nye Talks About the Bronze Goddess
whose Mission 1t Is to Enlighten the
World.
When Patrick Henry put his old cast
iron spectacles back on the top of his
head and whooped for liberty, he did
not know that some day we would have
more of it than we know what to do
with. He little dreamed that the time
would come when we would have
more liberty than we could pay for.
When Mr.. Henry sawed the air and
shouted TOR liberty or death, 1 do not
believe that he knew that the time
would one day come when Liberty would
stand knee-deep in the mud of Bedloes
Island and yearn for solid place to
stand upon.
1t seems to me that we have too much
liberty in this country in some ways.
We have more liberty than we have
money. We guaratee that every man
in America shall fill himself up full of
liberty at our expense, and the less of
an American he is the more liberty he
can have. If he desires to enjoy him
self, all he needs is a slight foreign
accent and a willingness to mix up with
politics as soon as he can get his bag
gage of the steamer. The more | study
American institutions, the more | regret
that | was not born foreigner, 50 that
] could have something to say about the
management of our great land. If
could not be foreigner, / believe |
would prefer to be a Mormon or an
Indian not taxed.
| am often led to ask, in the language
of the poet, as the Caucasian played
out?" Most everybody can have a good
deal of fun in this country except the
American. He seems to be so busy
paying his taxes all the time that he
has very little time to mingle in the
giddy whirl with the alien. That is the
reason that the alien who rides across
the United States on the Limited Mail"
and writes a book about us before
breakfast wonders why we are always
in a hurry. That is the reason we have
to throw our meals into ourselves with
a dull thud, and hardly have time to
maintain warm personal friendship
with our families.
We do not care much for wealth, but
we must have freedom, and freedom
costs money. We have advertised to
furnish a bunch of freedom to every
man, woman or child who comes to
our shores, and we are going to deliver
the goods, whether we have any left for
ourselves or not. What would the
great world beyond the seas say to us
ii some day the blue-cved Mormon. with
his heart full OF love for our female
seminarieS and our old women's homes,
should land upon our coasts and find
that we were using all the liberty our
selves?
What do we want Of liberty. anyhow?
What could we do with it if we had it?
1t takes a man of leisure to enjoy
liberty, and we have no leisure what
ever. 1t is a good thing to keep in the
house 'for the use of guests only" but
we don't need it for ourselves.
Therefore, ! am in favor of a statue
of Liberty Enlightening the World, be-
cause it will show that we keep it on
tap winter and summer We want the
whole broad world to remember that
when it gets tired of oppression it can
come here to America and Cypress us.
We are used to it, and we rather like
it. Ii we don't like it we can get on the
steamer and go abroad, where we may
visit the effete monarchies and have a
high old time,
The sight of the Goddess of Liberty
standing there in New York Harbor
night and day, bathing her feet in the
ripping sea, will be a good thing. 1t
will be tirst-rate. 1t may also be pro-
ductive of good in a direction that many
have not thought of. AS she stands
there, day after day bathing her feet
in the broad Atlantic, perhaps some
moSs-grown Mormon moving toward the
far West, confirmed victim of the mat
rimonial habit, may fix the bright pict-
ure in his so-called mind. and remem-
bering how, on his arrival in New York,
he saw Liberty bathing her feet with
impunity, he may be led in after years
to try it on himself.-BW Nye, IN Dos