Page:Harris Dickson--The unpopular history of the United States.djvu/118

The Unpopular History of the United States in a frenzied speech? No sir, no politician would dare run for constable on that platform.

Now, my son, can you partially understand why I want to quit that expensive form of suicide, and get down to brass tacks? Yet our folks keep on insisting, "Didn't we beat the whole British Empire in 1812?"

France helped us in the Revolution and helped us again in 1812, by making it necessary for Great Britain to withdraw her redcoats in order to combat the Emperor Napoleon. The very troops which Andrew Jackson defeated, on January 8th at New Orleans, were immediately transferred to the fields of France and contributed to Napoleon's downfall at Waterloo.

When I sit down and think it all over, it hits me square between the eyes that we Americans must be gluttons for punishment. Those nauseous doses that we were forced to take during the War of 1812 ought to have had some effect. But Congressmen can [100]