34 THE HISTORY OF 



heads, sir in view of the great American eagle jender, — < 

 that ' bird of promise,' sir, — and dispute the assertion that 

 I now make, Mr. President, as an American citizen, with- 

 out fear and without reproach ! " (Deafening shouts of 

 " Nobody ! nobody can dispute it ! ") 



" No, sir .' I think not, I wot not, I ventur' not, I 

 cal'k'late not ! I say, Mr. President, it is no use for nun 

 of us to contend agin the mighty ingine of progress ; 'nless 

 we 'd like to get our crowns mashed in for our pains, sir. 

 That 's the way it 'pears to me ; and I 've no doubt that 

 this ^nlitened ordinance now present, sir, will agree with 

 me on this p'int, and admit the truth that present indica- 

 tions, sir, p'int, with strikin' force, to the proberble likeli- 

 hood that the deeds begun here to-night must be forever 

 perpetooated hereafter, and that — a — they will — er — go 

 down, sir, to our children, and our children's children, a 

 posteriori, in the futur, forever ! " (" Yes, yes ! " and 

 thundering applause.) 



" But, sir, the p'int at issoo seems to me to be clear as 

 the broad-faced sun on a cloudy day. I 'm no speaker, sir. 

 I am not the man, sir, that goes about to proclaim on tops 

 of houses ! I 'm a quiet citizen, and calls myself one o' 

 ' the people,' sir. But w'en the questions comes up of this 

 natur', — w'en it 'pears to me to be so clear and so transpa- 

 rent, — w'en the people goes abroad, sir, in their might, and 

 — er — and can't stay ter home, — w'en such things occuw, 



