I have seen in my time two enormous extensions of the suffrage to men--one in America and one in England. But neither the negroes ...in the South nor the agricultural laborers in Great Britain had shown before they got the ballot any capacity of government; for they had never had the opportunity to take the first steps of political action. Very different has been the history of the march of women toward a recognized position in the State. We have had to prove our ability at each stage of progress, and have gained nothing without having satisfied a test of capacity.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Montesquieu well knew, and justly admired, the happy constitution of this country [Great Britain], where fixed and known laws equa...lly restrain monarchy from tyranny and liberty from licentiousness.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The annexation to the United States of the adjacent parts of the continent both north and south, seems to be, according to the phr...ase of 1844, our "manifest destiny." I am not in favor of artificial stimulants to this tendency. But I think I see plainly that it is now for the interest of both Canada and the United States that properly and in order, and with due regard to the feelings of Great Britain, the two countries should come under one government. If it were known that we would probably pay the whole or part of the Canadian debts, or would assume to pay them, would it not stimulate the feeling in favor of annexation in Canada?LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Gladstone in Great Britain and Parnell in Ireland, under the watchword, "Home Rule for Ireland," are fighting the battle of self-g...overnment for all mankind.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The sun of her [Great Britain] glory is fast descending to the horizon. Her philosophy has crossed the Channel, her freedom the At...lantic, and herself seems passing to that awful dissolution, whose issue is not given human foresight to scan.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
[I]n Great-Britain it is said that their constitution relies on the house of commons for honesty, and the lords for wisdom; which ...would be a rational reliance if honesty were to be bought with money, and if wisdom were hereditary.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The present war having so long cut off all communication with Great-Britain, we are not able to make a fair estimate of the state ...of science in that country. The spirit in which she wages war is the only sample before our eyes, and that does not seem the legitimate offspring either of science or of civilization.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
During the late war [the American Revolution] I had an infallible rule for deciding what [Great Britain] would do on every occasio...n. It was, to consider what they ought to do, and to take the reverse of that as what they would assuredly do, and I can say with truth that I was never deceived.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
I ... would rather be in dependance on Great Britain, properly limited, than on any nation upon earth, or than on no nation. But I... am one of those too who rather than submit to the right of legislating for us assumed by the British parliament, and which late experience has shewn they will so cruelly exercise, would lend my hand to sink the whole island in the ocean.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Without this, as well as with it, we could have declared our independence of Great Britain; but without it, we could not, I think,... have secured our free government, and consequent prosperity. No oppressed, people will fight, and endure, as our fathers did, without the promise of something better, than a mere change of masters.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »