138 ANNUAL KEPORT. 



gone into that country to save his life. He was complaining 

 about the " Yankee greasers" that came and settled in Mexico, 

 because, as he said, they were the worst kind of greasers in the 

 world. I asked him "Why do you stay here; is it to get rich?" 

 "Not exactly that," he says. "I have had my ups and downs 

 in the world, but" he says, "I have a hope of a hereafter." 

 "Yes, what is if?" "Well," he says, "you know my people 

 down here are all good Christians; we believe in the Bible and 

 are of the Catholic kind and of course are earnest, conscientious 

 Catholics and all believe in the second coming of Christ, and 

 when that takes place I hope to have my compensation for living 

 here." I asked, "Well, how do you expect to obtain that?" 

 "Why," he says, "when Christ comes again on this earth he 

 would very naturally come down first to the country where he 

 lived when he was on earth before, and when he found every- 

 thing there reversed and entirely changed, he would leave the 

 land of Palestine and go to Eome; there he would see the great 

 temples and palaces erected for the worship of God, and he 

 would say, 'this is not my nation and people' and he would 

 come over to New York; and when he got there and heard the 

 bustle and rattle and the rush of the cars and saw the hurry of 

 the people, he would naturally get out of that country as fast as 

 possible and would pass over the country until he reached this fair 

 land, where he would see the people carrying water on their 

 heads, or riding on a jackass's back, or plowing with a stick, 

 and he would raise his hands and say: 'Lo! and behold my 

 chosen people, just as I left them 1,800 years ago !' and I hope 

 when that ingathering comes that I may have some chance." 

 (Laughter.) 



Now, my friends, there is no better illustration of the class of 

 people with whom we have to compete in this new territory, for 

 we may describe them just as they were hundreds of years ago. 

 Think of our American citizens comjDeting with such people in 

 raising sugar; if they could not compete with them in that or in 

 anything else 1 would be ashamed of my people. But I will not 

 detain you with any extended remarks; this is a little talk that 

 your president has gotten out of me and that without any reflec- 

 tion. I am very glad to be among you in Minnesota and have an 

 opportunity to meet with you and to be among those who have in- 

 telligent faces and who live on something besides beans. I tell 

 you if you ever go into that country you had better take your own 

 provisions with you if you don't want to starve to death. There 



