Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-05-14
Gclettro Arttflrs.
Reply Of Hon. Horace Mann 10 Wendell Phil.
lips Esq.
WEST NEWTON, April 10, 1853.

w. L. GARRrsoN, Esq:
Dean SIR,-I sit down to an unwelcome
task. dcprecate n controversy with any
man, and never was engaged in one in my
life until first nssaile6 Last February, while
far nwny in the performance Of public duties
found myself attacked, misquoted, malign-
ed. showed every charge of my assalant
to be untrue. lie then opened upon me with
a brondside of new ones; and this he has
now twice repeated. hnve twice proposed
TO conduct our discussion, on those points
where we presumed to differ, without any
reference TO proving each other personally
or historically wrong; but with the sole pur-
pose of Illuminating the path of political
duty. Though the nssniled party, and though
hnve been the assailed party, from the same
source, for some dozen years, yet proposed
to make Our discussion as impersonal rs ge-
ometry. lie spurns the peaceful proposition,
aud returns upon me with new accumulation
of charges, longer aud ialser than before -
the number of his columns increasing 0riih-
me,icolly,-3: 5: Z; but the evil spirit of
them geOmetrically,-3 o: 81. ] cannot
waive these attacks upon my personal char
acter und conduct must defend my integ-
rliy, as prerequisite to defending anything
else. IL any one thinks feel these indigni.
ties too strongly, let him reflect how very
easy thing it is for human nature 10 bear
other peoples prouOcdiions.
AS before, cannot reply to all Mr.. Phillips
assertions Of non-exsting facts nor his de-
nial OF existing ones nor expose nll his
sophisms. But tbetirst two or three columns
Of his illogical aud immoral congeries IRE
peculiar. They nre susceptible of being
mapped out,--as it were diagrams
Fdlsity will be the 'Quod erdi demonsirdn-
dun of every proposition.
In all odious and offensive ways Mr.. Phil
lips accused me Of guilt in n public office,
IN regard to the rights of the colored chill
dren of our State; of smoihoring convic-
tions,' &c. &c. and then lie rung mnny a
change on these low and bnse imputaiions,
which every honorable mind scorns. Aud
yet, such is his sense of decency, that, in his
last letter, he declnres ought TO thank him
Tor those vile arrangements. ] cannot con-
sent to learn the laws of gratitude, any more
than those Of honor or verncity from such u
tesci,er.
In addition to varied impuiations of base
ness, both Of act and motive, Mr.. Phillips
mnde general charge: that in the move
fnent of himself and friends TO get colored
children inio tchiie chitdrens's schools, never
gave them one word Of recognition, counte-
nance or aid
To this, in my last, ] gave eight distinct
disproois; and then stopped, not because my
evidence was exhausted, but because he
stood irredeemaby condemned Several of
the facts adduced were of n public clIarac-
ter, such ns men of ordinary intelligence
could not plead ignorance Of
TO these, MIR. Phillips has made eight dis
1inct replies, repeating his disproved nsser-
tion, with additions still more Offensive
These, sllall now examine. To save space,
! shall state the substance of the points brief.
ly, endenvoring to omit nothing ofimportance
on his side.
/. To prove my interest and efforts in be-
half Of colored children, | said that nearly
swenty years ago, reported to the Blind In
stitiition, rs one of its Trustees, that the col
ored children of the State should he admitted
there ON precisely the same terms as the
white.
MIR. Phillips replies 80 The meetings and
records of these Trustees were private
What could know of opinions expressed
ssn private, sc. And so he leaps at once to
The monstrous conclusion, that they would
aeag my acts, merely because he did not
know Of them.
Blu, Il is not enough for Mr.. Phillips to nI
firm that fact does not exist, because he
does not know it,-an argument winch eau
De drawn only from assumed omnlsclence,-
but lie represents the Blind Institution as
-pripaie' institution. Now, he knows that 1t
is one of the Public Charitable institutions
of the State, supported and supervised by the
State, aud no more n private Institution than
the Insane Asylum at Worcester or the Su-
.preme Court. was a Trustee appointed 10y
the State. II he waited to know what was
done there, was it my duty to go and tell him
or his 10 come aud ask me. Yet noW, and
after his plea Of ignorance has heen taken
away, he re-affirms that never gave them
'one word,' &c.
Then he goes on, in his reckless way =
sAli that the abOltionists, all that the public
knew, was that the only coIored ohdd, who,
about this time, applied for admission to the
Jnslituiion, uas refused But why did he not
add, what he must have known, that the child
was refused because not OF the age made ne
cessary for admission by the standing rules
of the Institution, and would have been re-
Ased, If white? And why did he not say,
t,r4hsr,--which slso he must have Known