The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 12 (of 12): Dresden Edition—MiscellanyIngersoll, Robert Green
Religion
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 12 (of 12): Dresden Edition—Miscellany
Ingersoll, Robert Green
Free thought
Admiral Schley has added not only to our wealth, but to the wealth of
the children yet unborn that are going to come into the great heritage
not only of wealth, but of the highest possible riches, glory, honor,
achievement. That is the reason I congratulate you to-night. And I
congratulate you on another thing, that this country has entered upon
the great highway, I believe, of progress. I believe that the great
nation has the sentiment, the feeling of growth. The successful farmer
wants to buy the land adjoining him; the great nation loves to see its
territory increase. And what has been our history? Why, when we bought
Louisiana from Napoleon, in 1803, thousands of people were opposed to
"imperialism," to expansion; the poor old moss-backs were opposed to it.
When we bought Florida, it was the same. When we took the vast West from
Mexico in 1848 it was the same. When we took Alaska it was the same.
Now, is anybody in favor of modifying that sentiment?
We have annexed Hawaii, and we have got the biggest volcano in the
business. A man I know visited that volcano some years ago and came back
and told me about his visit. He said that at the little hotel they had
a guest-book in which the people wrote their feelings on seeing the
volcano in action. "Now," he said, "I will tell you this so that you
may know how you are spreading out yourself. One man had written in
that book, 'if Bob Ingersoll were here, I think he would change his mind
about hell.'"
I want that volcano. I want the Philippines. It would be simply infamous
to hand those people back to the brutality of Spain. Spain has been
Christianizing them for about four hundred years. The first thing the
poor devils did was to sign a petition asking for the expulsion of the
priests. That was their idea of the commencement of liberty. They are
not quite so savage as some people imagine. I want those islands; I want
all of them, and I don't know that I disagree with the Rev. Mr. Slicer
as to the use we can put them to. I don't know that they will be of any
use, but I want them; they might come handy. And I wanted to pick up
the small change, the Ladrones and the Carolines. I am glad we have got
Porto Rico. I don't know as it will be of any use, but there's no harm
in having the title. I want Cuba whenever Cuba wants us, and I favor
the idea of getting her in the notion of wanting us. I want it in the
interest, as I believe, of humanity, of progress; in other words, of
human liberty. That is what the war was waged for, and the fact that it
was waged for that, gives an additional glory to these naval officers
and to the officers in the army. They fought in the first righteous war;
I mean righteous in the sense that we fought for the liberty of others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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