misery in a hundred forms had already invaded thousands of homes and
stood upon the thresholds of thousands more. How came these things to
be? It was the bloody foreigner! Therefore, down with the foreigners
and all their works. Out with them. Drive them b--s into the bloody
sea! The country would be ruined if not protected in some way. This
Friscal, Fistical, Fissical or whatever the hell policy it was called,
WAS Protection, therefore no one but a bloody fool could hesitate to
support it. It was all quite plain--quite simple. One did not need to
think twice about it. It was scarcely necessary to think about it at
all.

This was the conclusion reached by Crass and such of his mates who
thought they were Conservatives--the majority of them could not have
read a dozen sentences aloud without stumbling--it was not necessary to
think or study or investigate anything. It was all as clear as
daylight. The foreigner was the enemy, and the cause of poverty and
bad trade.

When the storm had in some degree subsided,

'Some of you seem to think,' said Owen, sneeringly, 'that it was a
great mistake on God's part to make so many foreigners. You ought to
hold a mass meeting about it: pass a resolution something like this:
"This meeting of British Christians hereby indignantly protests against
the action of the Supreme Being in having created so many foreigners,
and calls upon him to forthwith rain down fire, brimstone and mighty
rocks upon the heads of all those Philistines, so that they may be
utterly exterminated from the face of the earth, which rightly belongs
to the British people".'

Crass looked very indignant, but could think of nothing to say in
answer to Owen, who continued:

'A little while ago you made the remark that you never trouble yourself
about what you call politics, and some of the rest agreed with you that
to do so is not worth while. Well, since you never "worry" yourself
about these things, it follows that you know nothing about them; yet
you do not hesitate to express the most decided opinions concerning
matters of which you admittedly know nothing. Presently, when there is
an election, you will go and vote in favour of a policy of which you
know nothing. I say that since you never take the trouble to find out
which side is right or wrong you have no right to express any opinion.
You are not fit to vote. You should not be allowed to vote.'

Crass was by this time very angry.

'I pay