Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-06-06
SPEECH OF WENDELL PHILLIPS.

Mr.. Phillips adverted to the fact mentioned by
The preceding speaker. and, as another illus
tration Of the power of pre- udice on the part of a
powerful majority in rDbbing a minority Of their
rights stated the fact that while one of the speak
ers this morning (Mr. Purvis) was the payer of
the second highest tax in his own township in the
State of Pennsy ylvania, yet his own children were
not allowed to attend the school to whose support
his property yielded such generous contribution.
Such facts showed the exceeding Importance OF
the anti slavery enterprise, if for nothing else in
educating the American people to that truth tha;
laws were for the protection of the minority, and
that that law or that liberty which did not protect
hated minority worth nothing. He did not
value that law which merely protected the MAORI
ty or the rich and powerful. The Astors Girards
and Lawrences needed protection; they had it
in wealth, in popularity, in troops of friends
Fourth of July orators were In the habit OF eulo'
gizing the institutions of this country and talking
about their benefcence. while seated on these very
benches were men who had violated no law OF
Virginia and yet their presence in that State was
impossible The highest privilege of citizenship
was free tongue; the moment it was forfeited
government became nuisance. There was moi
half the freedom of opinion in these thrty.one
States that there was beneath Vctorias realm on
q hated question. The American people had learn
ed to bow to the tyranny of the majority until
there was no liberty left. The question was grave
ly discussed in the streets whether an inhdel had
Q right to hall for the discussion OF his own
opinions. The liberty that protected 40 600 pulpits
was nothing; the liberty that protected what those
10000 pulpits deemed basphemy was the only
liberty worth defending (appause). Toleration
he hated the word; it was the most insolent of all
words under such circumstances as ours If inf
deity would tolerate the 10000 pulpitswhich the
fugitive elave dreaded like baying hounds he
would tolerate all the in6delity in the land zap
plause.) 1t was enough to make infdety grow
sick with actual nausea at the very name of Chris.
tianity. He would tolerate with greatfu emotion
the infdelity that would tolerate such Christianity
remembering the sublime repentance of Patrick
Henry, when he said, at the close of his life that
we owed it to the purity OF religion to show
that we did not tolerate slavery.
He challenged any man to show him wha,
benefit the Union had been. Where were its
benefts2 What had it ever achieved? Commerce
He denied it, England was as successful as this
it energy Of brain and hands, and not the
strength of parchments that made Old and New
England successful. The human race, counting
on the omni ipotence of truth, gravitated towards
justice, confident that in the end liberty would
triumph.
"Freedom's battle begun,
Bsqueathed by bleeding sire to son,
Though bafied off, lie won"
But the question for the Abolitionist was how tc
bestow bis efforts so as to quicken the triumph ot
ideas. Men were too apt to imagine that ideas, as
If by necessity, must triumph at once. There
was in the human heart 50 much of q tendency tS
present prosperity that organizations of prosper
Gus iniquity would defeat for centuries the pro
gress Of IDEAS He would warn the Aboltionstt
against hoping too much for the speedy triumph
Of right We were standing not whit better
than our fathers stood in 1889, scarcely one Of
whom went down to his grave without leaving
on record some antslavery protest. The whole
impetus, the whole enthusiasm of the country were
then in favor of liberty. with the prestige of rev
olutionary success in that direction. ...r.
- Go.,A AAfa utraK hat mi nr
ruled in this country. The same was true of the
governments of Europe. The Gear of Russia die
not rule by the vgor of his right hand, but by thu
public opinion of his mobiles; and whom he under