means and opportunities. I saw the other day in the streets a large
body of Europeans of various nations, marching along with a red flag.
In Paris, or Rome, or Vienna, such a procession would have been
impossible, or if it could have got into the streets, it would have been
assailed by the soldiery, and its members either shot down or flung into
prison. Yet in New York they went peacefully on their way, made their
demonstration in all freedom, and no trouble or harm came of it. Very
many of those men were political exiles. And why? Not because they were
bad men, for here in New York nothing could be more quiet and
appropriate than their behaviour. But they prove, that from whatever
country there are political exiles, there the institutions are bad. I
know we are in the habit of hearing about Red Republicans and Socialists
as men who are dangerous on account of their opinions, and who have
deserved to be banished from France, from Germany, from Italy. I will
not now say anything about those opinions, but this I do say, that a
country where all opinions and every opinion cannot be held and freely
discussed, has a bad system of government and bad institutions. It is
not the men nor their opinions that stand condemned, but the government
and institutions. Therefore it is that we must sympathize with such
exiles, without regard to their opinions, and pray earnestly and labour
earnestly for the elevation of all countries to freedom.
* * * * *
IX.--ON MILITARY INSTITUTIONS.
[_Speech to the New York Militia, December 16th._]
The First Division, consisting of four brigades, was presented to
Kossuth in the Castle Garden. Major-General Sandford then proceeded to
address Kossuth as follows:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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