Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-01-18
WENDELL PHILLIPS LECTURE.

"Nt"S eO''SiOu W CIoHuou anu "PPi"' iiAe, 80
diences in the great Hall Of the fremont
Temple.
Ladies and Gentlemen--I am asked to
speak to you on the subject of slavery. 1t is
very broad question. To lift but the corner
OF the dark curtain that shrouds it will crowd, |
ii it does not tresposs far beyond the hour that
you lend INC to night. l ask your patience,
therefore, 1T an abolitionists, at such an epoch
as this, which so unexpectedly to all Of us
crowds thishouse, night after night, with listen
ing thousands to hear Il lecture on slavery-ifI
such one, at such time, not coming, but
come-should talk to you a little longer than
the ordinary measure of literary lecture.
| ask you to keep in your constant recollection
that this is no question of ours. 1t is too
large to be the question of any individual
it is too large question to belong to any par
ty; it concerns US all it touches our common
interests and our common honor.
1t is not the question of those who speak
to you from this platform. If you won!d
love your country" said Edmund Burke, "see
to it that you make her worthy to be loved"
When Daniel Webster came home from abroad
aud found that some oil tao States had rcpu
dated tni? debts to Euroye, he said to the
farmers of the West. Il would work these
arms to the cloow to wipe eff bet from the re-
motest corner OF my country.' Ii this be
duty when We eve debts OF silver anC gold,
!. hos earnest Should be lie effort to pay the
debt of jusGfe and mercy t'lut We eve TO God
as well as +ohr fellow man. ( A2piougg)
The question Of slavery is 10 question o,
the South It i5no question Of the blacks it
is the question OF the right Of free spoc:l III
Fancuil Hall. (A?paufe.) u is question
WEATHER this great experiment Of popular
government is successful whether our ilsti-
tutous, as our fathers gave them to us, axe 70
be handed doan 10 onr children. H..-t
He would not ask what is slavery. They
knew it was a system that makes man II
thing, that robs him Of his vic, Of his oluca-
ton, and practically ro5s him Of the gospel,
of every thing that makes ii distinction BE-
tween man and brute He wonld not dwell
upon that point, but he would ask what is it that
defends this system? In a s;ng'c word, it is
the sfnrc pp,osr. What makes Boston sub
missive to this system! 1t is that slave pow
er which i'll our government consists o. taese
items. Its first clement is property. This
first item OF money has $1,000, 00O,0 600, In
vested in property in men and women, and re.
cognized by the laws Of one half Of Ais
Union. The strength Of the money power ii
this country was then Illustrated. To make
money is our "mlniie destiny" more thai
to conquer foreign states. Dr.. johnson de3
crbcd us in describing the character OF Scotch
men, who said be would, if you put dollar
on the other side of he'll, attempt to get it.
Next there is the political element Of thu
country, which socs to sustain slavery Thu
politicians 60 d0wn to grind in the mil Of th
Philistnes, and they never turn their gaz'
again to the north star Next there are tin
parties Influenced by that patriotism whicl
always cries ont Tor our country, right .
wrong. Then comes the pulpit which is re
luced to vassalage. The most influential an,
fashionable pulpits in our cities are Indifferent
silent, or pro-slavery.
This is not the first anti-slavery crusade
All former ones have failed because the sav
power which has its roots at the South, ha
the upas tree aid, its branches in Mix street
The fruits Of the Slave Power upon tn
press tho pulpt, the people and politicians
were then illustrated by reference to exam
pies from our earliest history to the presen
time. There is no Anti-Slavcry sentiment II
the North which calls Slavery sin as Their
is in Kentucky a sentiment which drives thu
murderer out of his borders. There are,
said he, linen walking in this city who hav
done touler deed than Mat Ward. The
have given upto bondage-which is wors
than death-a man who had better title t.
be free than eyhad for they were born free
an accident and no merit. But the ma,
under slavery, who has heard of and imagine
a liberty which he does see, and who has
right arm to vinlcate his claim to it, and ha
once put his foot on the soil of Massachusetts
has proved better fitness Tor his freedom
than the man VINO was simply born free 0
the soil. (Applaase.) Such IA man as thai
men that walk year streets have thrust bac
i WIS going to say into the hell OF bondage =
but he was thrust back into bondage, and
was done by a man who never deserved tn
name Of Judge, (Applause) since he made u
!, his opinion before he sat in the case. The
thrust him into bondage, and they walk you
streets sill. No public sentiment makes ther
: quit Boston 10 public sentiment makes tn
streets too hot for them to tread. The STAY
. Commissioner lives among us. His clrcl
takes his hand AS freely as it did ever.
Few aboitonists give him cold look and ON.
to bow to him, ii they bowed to him befor'
but the general community torgets shortly
and those who abbetted him were reelected
: Office in the very city where We stand. (Shamc
f shame.)'
What right have we to call ourselves Ant
Slavery? None. We have sort Of quail
f fed Anti Slavery, but what does it do? Doe
it take up Massachusetts by the four corner
and shake out the Curtises aud the Lorlngs
(Appause.) | would that | had drink {
water to rinse my lips after naming then
; applause and laughter ...-------s-.r-,.z7.,t
: lie then discussed at length the charactc
of our government and judged it by the me
! it produced taking several samples, cxaml
, ing their public gcts in reference to the slay
power, and coming to the conclusion that sine
the government had produced no better fru
| there was necessity for change. Rattle
, than continue the government as it is, it woul
be better to dissolve the Union and break tn
Constitution into tetters. Let the Union b
dissolved and the five million of whites at III
South with three million OF slaves, would fiji
. it impossible to sustain slavery there.
He wanted the religious sentiment of tn
: country aroused against the money powe
and the political power of the country. |
D State street and the OlJ Sonth is the connie