The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-06-09

reconciliation would come by which
the disruption of the Union might be
averted. 1t was announced that each
had a speech in preparation. These
two were Crittenden of Kentucky and
Seward of New York OF Critten-
den's speech | recall nothing; it fell
fiat ON the country. Stewards was
not much better; but | remember one
of his illustrations; with much feel
ing and eloquence he was pleading
with the South not to rudely destroy
that for which their fathers had suf-
fered so much, and he drew a word
picture of the future He represent
ed noble man-Of-war, with her can
opy of sails. steam, crew and arma-
ment, entering the port of one of the
smaller South American republics;
some OF the spectators on the shore
enquire of what nationality she is;
port officer scrutinizes her careful
ly thru his glass, then consults his
code book and replies with tone of
Indifference, that She bears the flag
of one of the little North American
states" For Seward contended that
if North and South separated, there
would almost surely follow other
divisions, and many new nations and
flags would result. Then he made
another word-picture of the same war
no ~,
same inquiry being made, and a sin
gle glance of the port officer shows
him the well known Stars and Stripes
and with much respect he says That
is a North American ship" and hast
ems to order the proper salute and to
extend fitting cOurtesies to the Wis
itor. The impression which Stewards
pictures made on my youthful mind
has remained all these years. TO be
the citizen of some little nation may
be honorable; and each man should
be loyal to his own country while it
is his home; but for honor and in
huence it is a greater privilege to be
the citizen of great and honorable
nation. | say honorable nation; for
not all great nations are honorable,
weighed in the scales of the world S
Judgment. Some of the great en-
pires of the old world are made uD
of many races and languages; and
while all of the people of all these
various nationalities many have cit
iZenship in, and claim the protec-
ton of the flag and agents of the
empire, when in other parts of the
world, many of them care very little
FOR that empire or its flag. But it
is not so with citizens of Great Brit
ian and the United States. When the
great war broke out in our country
there We're many Irish, Germans,
Scandinavians and other nationalit-
les among us; and we soon learned
how much they had come to love the
land of their adoption; there were
not simply a few scattered thru the
various companies and regiments;
but there were in regiments whole
companies of these erstwhile foreign
ers, and in some brigades whole reg
iments of them. Congress passed an
act extending citizenship to all for
eigners who should honorably serve
in our army or navy for a certain
period; and those men proved wor-
thy citizens and brave soldiers, and
We We're glad to have given them well
come to our land. Since the war it
has been the settled policy of our
government to grant citizenship to
all worthy foreigners who come to
our shores when they comply with
reasonable conditions; conditions
which are most easy when compared
With those which hedged about Ro-
man citizenship 1900 years ago. The
Chief Captain Lysias said he had to
pay great sum to get the coveted
right; and always then a great sum
was needed, or some honorable or
extraordinary service, to secure the
rank and title of citizen. The great
extension of citizenship in the Roman
empire FASTENED its decline and fall,
because il introduced large mass of
rich but ignorant people without
patriotism, who only desired The rank
and title of citizen, without any of
its duties and responsibilities, while
slaves. and the constantly widening
chasm between high and low, and
the lack of unity between the many
different nationalities In the widely
scattered empire. caused citizenship
To become a mere name; like the
rnng of a ladder; just something BY
which to climb higher socially. But
! believe that our institutions are
so established and balanced that
most OF the foreigners who come to