On December 23, 1667, a 14.717 acre Island in New York Harbor was sold to Isaac Bedloe. In 1732, his estate sold it to the U.S. Government for an undisclosed price. The island had always been called “Oyster Island,” due to the huge number of oyster beds surrounding it. It was named “Bedloe’s Island” when his estate bought it from the Dutch government. In 1956, by an act of Congress, the name of the island was changed to “Liberty Island,” on which the Statue of Liberty stands, and has since 1886. The statue’s construction was begun in France in 1875, by its artist and builder, Frederic Bartholdi, and was a gift from the People of France to America, to thank them for the liberty and freedom which America had, in reality, originated. The statue is 305 feet tall, and its frame is covered in copper. She holds a torch in her right hand above her head, and her left hand carries a date of July 4th, 1776. She seems to be walking, after breaking a chain which was around her feet, celebrating the abolition of slavery. The statue was proposed by the president of the French Anti-slavery Society, and quite obviously, that glorious statue has been the sign and essence of freedom for 133 years. It was restored and rededicated in 1986. Lee Iacocca, then president of the Chrysler Corporation, headed the restoration drive, and he raised a few million towards its now spectacular appearance. I remember sending the outfit a check towards its restoration, and the ceremony was superb, with a huge fireworks display, hundreds of ships surrounding the island, military salutes, and a rousing celebration.
Nowhere on the Statue is there any mention of welcoming just anyone, because in 1886, the United States required immigrants to have a job or sponsor, plus pass a health examination. Thousands were refused and sent back home. Ellis Island, which is adjacent to the Statue’s magnificence, is the place where immigrants were welcomed, examined and given permission to stay or go back home. Those historic buildings on Ellis Island, have been authentically restored. It was all such a wonderful way for worthwhile people to gain a new life in a nation which was founded on freedom. Immigrants who wanted to escape from tyrannical governments in all its forms, and were qualified, were welcomed.
Emma Lazarus a German Jewish poetess and author, was the equivalent of a modern day liberal, advocating for Jewish refugees and urging the formation of a Jewish homeland. In 1883 she wrote a poem titled “The New Colossus,” and it begins as:
“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land,
Here at our sea washed sunset gates shall stand,
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of exiles. From her beaconed hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp.” Cries she
With silent lips.”
Doesn’t that sound sort of what the Statue stands for? Ah, but you must hear the rest of that poem, the above being eliminated, and in 1903, the remainder was emboldened on a brass shield, placed at the foot of the Statue, and has remained there ever since. You all know it. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed to me. I lift my light beside the golden door.” That is EXACTLY what the Statue of Liberty does NOT STAND FOR. It does not invite worthless, disease ridden, poor, talentless, ‘wretched refuse’ masses to partake in our welfare state, as modern leftists and liberals constantly proclaim. The Statue of Liberty is an invitation to all who had the money to get here, can work, will work, have relatives or a sponsor, have a job promised, and are disease free. Millions came, and hundreds of millions today are proud that their parents or grandparents came over, cried at seeing the Statue, went to Ellis Island, and made it!
So many Irish came, that even today, tens of thousands of forebears became cops. Germans settled in Wisconsin and brewed beer, Swedes and Norwegians, became farmers in Iowa and Illinois, and my wife’s parents came from both places, and she and her two sisters are half and half. They learned English, trained their kids well and prospered. Now? Now, it’s disgusting, with illegals by the tens of millions, sneaking across our border, not even wanting to become Americans, but trying to make America part of Mexico. Drugs pour across the borders every minute, poisoning Americans, and well, I am sure you know the rest.
By skipping the first part of the Lazarus poem, today’s liberals point to its remainder and moan and groan that the Statue wants all to come, legal or not, healthy or not, wanting to inculcate into America and become an American or not, learning English or not, getting legitimate jobs and paying taxes or not, and doing the opposite of what the glorious Statue of Liberty stands for in New York Harbor. I would love to see that poem struck from the base of Miss Liberty.
Don Stott
don@coloradogold.com