text: Here is Abraham Lincoln commenting on a similar period in our history, when the Know-Nothing party was working to keep my Irish Catholic ancestors out of the country.
  
  "As a nation, we begin by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty-to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy."
  
  Perhaps we could hire Russian mercenaries to vet the vetter vetters?