The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-22
INGALLS, ON ToDAY's PROBLEMS.
Points on Immigration and Prohibition
The New Anarchist Moxemeut.

Points on Immigration and Prohibition
The New Anarchist Movement.
Senator ingalls, Recent Speech at Madison, Wis.
| am to speak to you upon the problems
of our second century, and / want to say
at the outset that all public and political
leaders are towards. Unless | may seem
to be invidious in that observation or to
be partial in my statement, | desire TO say
that when | was in public station l was
myself included in that same category.
We are afraid to say what We really think
about the great problems before the Amer
lean people today. The people are not
afraid; the people study, appreciate and
understand the conditions about which
they are concerned.
Now, / shouldn't care to say here in
Wisconsin what l think about the immi-
grafton question for great many reasons.
The statistics of immigration are certainly
formidable and suggestive. There are
great many men in this country who be-
lieve that we have been making every day
in the year Fourth of July long enough.
There are great many people in this
country who believe that we have stood on
the hilltop and by the sounding sea, play
ing HAL Columbia" and Yankee Doc
de-" and declaring that this is the home
of the oppressed of all nations until we
have got about enough of it. But |
shouldn't dare to say so here in WIscon-
sin. for fear that it might offend the for
eign vote.
/ read the other day that there was some
thing like Is, 100000 foreign-born citizens
now in America. The most of them are
desirable additions to our citizenship.
They are welcome TO break bread and take
salt with us at the banquet of liberty But
there is large element among them that
would make good strangers. in my opin-
ion-very good strangers.
| saw not a great while ago in st. Louis,
in the Union depot there, a cargo of men
and women that were the dregs of the
civilization of the educated nations of
Europe, not one of whom could speak the
English language. They didn't, man by
man and woman by woman, have clothing
enough among them to wad a double-bar-
relied shotgun with. They were under the
control OF men that were leading them as
sheep are led by the shepherd, and yet in
III SIX monts every one of these men
would have the right to say what taxes
should be imposed upon my property, if
they settled in Kansas, and what manner
of man should be chosen governor and
representative in congress, land Judge to
interpret and administer the law If it
were not for the fear of arousing the an
the foreign vote, should say that the
naturalization period might be proltably
extended.
Another problem do not dare say much
about in Wisconsin is prohibition, and /
came from a prohibition state and am
practical prohibitioniSt, from the fact that
| never take drink unless [ want it, It
is one of the great problems of the second
century how to deal with the liquor ques-
ton, and vet for fear of offending the rad
zeal prohibitionists, for fear of offending
the brewing interest, for fear of offending
the distillers of whisky, there is not one
man in public life today that dares to tell
the honest truth about prohibition-not
one. | admit it is one of the most stupen-
dous questions that ever engaged the at
tention of the human mind When YOU
remember that in this country, year by
year, more money is spent for intoxicating
liquors than Is spent for bread and for
public education, and that there is nothing
that can be said in favor of a saloon, it is
indeed one OF the greatest problems of our
second century.
As l came out of Chicago this morning
it seemed to me incredible that there
were men yet living who could recall a
time when that magnificent metropolis
was wretched hamlet upon the mud of
the shore of the lake. All these towers.
and temples, and palaces, all that gigantic
wealth, all that stupendous, magnificent
specimen OF civilization have been evoked
from the desert by the genius of the Anglo
Saxon race within the last half of CEN
tury. And as L look around upon
this magnificent assemblage where we now
sit. encircled by all that exalts and embeI-
fishes civilized life, il seems incredible to
me that there are those who can remember
when these fertile plains were an Indian
reservation.
This Anglo-Saxon race has believed in
the motto OF an equal chance for every
man in the race of life, fair field for all
and the devil take the hindmost. To use
the vernacular of the period it has gone
upon the principle of root, hog, or die. /"
And so far as experience is concerned,
that Anglo-Saxon experiment after 90
years has been practically successful.
From an unknown continent without
habltatlon, or population, or civilization
We have seen nation grow up containing
o., 600 people, who are the best fed, the
wealthlest, the most fortunate and the
happlest people upon the face of the earth.
Our nation has had marvellous growth.
and yet there are some men not satisfied:
there are some men who believe this pro-
fess TO declare that this civilization has
been failure. ] admit that everything is
not right, and | am not here for the pur-
pose OF discussing these questions, of saw
ing that Anglo-Sa1oD civilization is per
feet But you in your primary capacity
are called upon to decide whether or not it
is to continue. For the first time in the
history of this country the declaration is
openly made that We are to substitute for
individualism paternalism; that we are TO
substitute for the activity of the individual
the rule of the state. and it is no longer a
smothered curse or a muttered anthem.
but the avowal of an aggressive campaign
OF speculation in the name of Justice For
the first time We hear it declared there
shall be an abolition of debts, public and
private; that there shall be no more taxes:
that there shall be in this country a forci-
bic redistribution of property. A pretty
serious problem.
He Wanted 1t stopped.
New York Herald