Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-21
Gitp ano County anteIIigenee.

Wendell Phillips Law and the Lawyers.
Wendell Phillips gave the second lecture of
the Lyceum course, last night. His subject
was, "Law and the Lawyers" and he found
both much at fault He thought nothing of
law, and held that the statute is hardly worth
the paper it soils, because behind it there must
be full and hearty recognition of its spirit
and idea before it viii work. AS the masses
think, not as the majority vote, is the real
law. If so into the streets of Savannah with
black man by my side, should not be al
lowed to walk there, for public opinion would
not permit it. Here, if black name is ever
put into jury box, it never comes out, for the
same reason. The majority of the people of
Massachusetts have declared that intoxicating
drinks shall not be sold in the state, but the
law is not enforced.
He characterized the press and the lyceum
system, in its broadcast sense, as normal
school of popular thought, and rejoced in the
additional fulcrum of the lecture system. For
the cold debate of books and timid conserva-
tism of scholars does not come up to the needs
OF the occasion. Every one who watches our
country sees the result of agitation in making
law and order possible. Some days since, he
stood before large audience in New York.
A portion of the rowdyism had determined
that there should be no speaking that evening"
but the superintendent of the police said the
law is to be respected, and the police force
was doubled and trebled and the rowdles were
putdown. It's but ten years since he saw Ryn-
ders on the same platform, leading the conquer
ing rowdyism of twenty-nine states to break up
tho So,, MOI and tho oifV auflOri-
ties would not and dared not interfere. The law
is the same now, but the men who stood on that
platform have said, "This is tie Thermopylae
of free Speech" and the people have come
round to an educated sense of respect for it.
II is but few years since Liberty Hall was
given to the flames in Philadelphia for the ut
terance within its walls of sentiments not as
radical as those that George w Curtis utters
to-day in the same city, and the authorities
there dare not do otherwise than respect his
right to speak. 1t is the lyceum education
and the agitation of thought that has brought
about this change.
In this country the helm is not with the
wealthy or the educated classes, but in the
hearts of the millions. The old man of Har.
per's Ferry has touched the hearts of five
million people. The scale which holds the
heBrt is sure to kick the beam, though educa-
tion and wealth be in the other
Mr.. Phillips found the lawyers bound to des
potic usages of the past and the law lacking
the spirit of liberty and progress, and fastened
back on a government we have copied too
much in our statutes, although we have cut
away from it in civil affairs. He eloquently
and forcibly protested against the indecent
treatment of witnesses by lawyers, tolerated
by the bench. The public opinion of the
Commonwealth should say, as the Queens
Bench have said, that the lawyer who insults
witness shall be held responsible in DANA
ges. The irreparable injuries done by false
arrests and imprisonments, and for which
there is no reparation-for can the Common
wealth do wrong any more than could the
King once ?-were set FORTH and the villainy
of the thing made quite apparent Mr.. Phil
lips thought there should be some satisfaction
granted to these injured parties that if the
Commonwealth, whose agents make these
mistakes, appoints fools to office, the Com
monwealth should pay for the luxury.
He concluded with happy figure of speech
concerning the "deviP' in the tea kettle, known
before the use of steam as motive power, and
the "devil" in the old tyrannical governments,
which popular government did not fear, but
rather made useful.