A Know-Nothing

Οὔκ εἰμι Ἀγνοῶν. Τοῦτό ἐστι ἀναμφισβήτητον. Πῶς ὦ; Πῶς τι τὸ τοὺς μέλανας ἀδικεῖν μισῶν εὐνοῇ τῶ ἔθνεα λευκῶν ἀτιμοῦν; Ἡμέτερα ἡ ἐπίδοσις ἐπι τὸ χεῖρον μοῖ δοκεῖ θᾶττον εἶναι. Ἡμεῖς τὴν πάτρην κατεστήσαμεν φωνοῦντες ὅτι “οἱ πάντες οἱ ἀνθρώποι πεποίηνται ἴσοι”. Νῦν ἔργῳ ἑρμηνεύομεν “οἱ πάντες οἱ ἀνθρώποι πεποίηνται ἴσοι, πλὴν τῶν μελάνων”. Τῶν Ἀγνοούντων κρατούντων, ἑρμηνεύσομεν “οἱ πάντες οἱ ἀνθρώποι πεποίηνται ἴσοι, πλὴν τῶν μελάνων, τῶν ξένων καὶ τῶν Καθολικῶν”. Τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ αἱρήσομαι μεταστήσασθαι εἴς τινα χῶρον ὅπου οἱ ἀνθρώποι οὐ προσποιοῦνται τὴν ἐλευθερίαν φιλεῖν—ἴσως εἰς τὴν Ῥώσσιαν, ποῦ ἡ δεσποτεία ἄμικτον καὶ ἄκρατον κακῇ ὑκοκρισίῃ πίνηται.

 

(Oúk eimi Agnoôn. Toûtó esti anamphisbḗtēton. Pôs ô? Pôs ti to tous mélanas adikeîn misôn eunoê tô éthnea leukôn atimoûn? Hēmétera hē epídosis epi to cheîron moî dokeî thâtton eînai. Hēmeîs tēn pátrēn katestḗsamen phōnoûntes hóti “hoi pántes oi anthrṓpoi pepoíēntai ísoi”. Nŷn érgō hermēneúomen “hoi pántes hoi anthrṓpoi pepoíēntai ísoi, plēn tôn melánōn”. Tôn Agnoöúntōn kratoúntōn, hermēneúsomen “hoi pántes hoi anthrṓpoi pepoíēntai ísoi, plēn tôn melánōn, tôn xénōn kai tôn Katholikôn”. Toútō tô chrónō hairḗsomai metastḗsasthai eís tina chôron hópou hoi anthrṓpoi ou prospoioûntai tēn eleutherían phileîn—ísōs eis tēn Rhṓssian, poû hē despoteía ámikton kai ákraton kakê hypokrisíē pínētai.)

 

I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began 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 take pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.

 

—Abraham Lincoln