“And then you forget that at a public table in America you frequently meet with people who, in England, would be content to make their dinner at a beef-shop.”
“I often suspected something of the kind.”
“Why, sir, this is a republican country; we have no public distinction of classes.”
“So much the worse for you.”
“But is it not very strange,” observed the manufacturer, somewhat angrily, “that you Englishmen, who come here for no other purpose in the world but to make money, who ‘underwork and undersell’ us wherever you can, should be constantly railing against this country? I have seen Scotchmen, Irishmen, Frenchmen, and Germans who were all satisfied to live amongst us and acquire property; but I do not remember a single Englishman that was not constantly talking of the superiority of England over America. The English are the only foreigners that never become bonâ fide citizens. They always have a leaning towards their own country, however they may have forsworn their sovereign, and pledged fidelity and allegiance to the United States.”
“I consider all you have said as highly in our favour,” said our host.
“But I do not,” remarked the manufacturer. “I consider it downright perjury to come and settle amongst us,—to apply for the privileges of citizenship,—to go through the requisite formalities,—to pledge an oath of allegiance to the country,—to renounce publicly one’s former sovereign,—to exercise all the rights of native Americans conferred by these acts,—and then, after all, to remain a foreigner at heart, and to abuse this country whenever an opportunity presents itself of doing so with impunity. If you dislike this country so much, why do you stay in it?”
“Because I cannot do better,” replied the Englishman.
“That’s an old, but nevertheless a good one,” remarked one of the company.
“Oh!” exclaimed the manufacturer, “we know your principles well enough. Your John-Bullism is past redemption.’”