The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-13
WENDELL PHILLIPS ON THE GOVERNMENT
WAR POLICY:

wendell Phillips was invited, a few evenings ago.
by the New Bedford Lyceum, to repeat his lecture
on "lhe llmes, but sensation despatch having
been received just before the commencement of the
lecture, to the effect that Sumter was then heinz
oombarded he delivered instead an extemporane
Gus effort founded on that information The fol-
lowing is a specimen of the speech;
Inc telegraph is said to report tonight that the
guns are hiring either out of Fort Sumter or into
1t; that tomorrow breeze, when it sweeps North
will bring the echo of the first Lexington battle
OF the new revolution Well, what shall we saw of
sucn an hour! My own feeling is double one 1t
Is IKE triumph OF sadness, rejoicing and sorrow
reJoice at the state of mind, and vet sorrow for
the act. | rejoice that the love of the Union to-
day Is no longer in favor of the Gulf States. well
come such change in public sentiment not ONLY
as Abotionist, interested in the fate Of the
slave but as man, because it indicates the growth
OF manly frankness in the Northern mind
-, L cannot congratulate yon enough on the SUI
pllme spectacle OF twenty millions of people edu-
cated IN twelve month up to being willing that
the ldolized Union should risk battle risk dis
solution in order at any risk to put down this re-
oelllon o.. the Slave States. But am sorry that
gun should be fired at Fort Sumter, or that gun
should be bred from it, for this reason. NV accu-
sation against the Administration at Washington
Is, that it does not know its times Two and a
half millions OF people in the Gulf States have un-
oertaKen 70 form a government for themselves of
CERTAIN form. Ihey possess territory sufficient
to make nation, and people enough to constitute
community. Standing with the principles of '76
behind US, who can deny them this right of seces-
sion what Is a matter of few millions of dol
lars or few forts that they have appropriated to
themselves? 1t is mere drop in the bucket in the
great national question. 1t is not our property it
is theirs Everything in their territory is theirs as
mucn as ours. l maintain the principles of ZIG
Fort Sumter.
The question comes, secondly Suppose we had
right to interfere, what is the good of it? You
may punish South Carolina for going out of the
Union. That does not bring her back You NAV
subdue her by hundreds of thousands of armies
but that does not make her a State. There is no
longer Union. 1t is nothing but boys play
Mr.. Jefferson Davis is angry and Mr. Abraham
Lincoln is mad, and they agree to fight. We shall
have war, and after two three years, having
spent millions, and required the death of hun
dred thousand men, we shall, be exactly where we
are noW-two nations. little more angry, little
poorer, and great deal wiser. We NAV Just as
well settle it now then. You cannot conoue err
South Carolina. Y ou may grind her soil in blood
but the border States will ioip her the momant
you fire cannon.
We stand to-day at the beginning of an epoch
which may have the peace or the ruin of genera
ton in its bosom. Inaugurate war, we know not
where 1t will end, how soon tie bitterness of border
and civil strife will be over. The seaboard re-
poets it even now. We are in no condition to
right. The South is poor and we are rich. The
poor man can do twice the injury to the rich man
than the rich can do to the poor. Your wealth
now rides safely on the bosom of the ocean All
New England has its millions afoat The North
covers the world with its wealth and whitens every
| sea with its commerce. The South has no com
merce; but she can buy the privateers of every
race to prey on yours. We provoke a strife in
which we are defenceless. II, on the contrary, we
show that strength which despises insult and bides
It's nour, we are sure to conquer in the end, and
frame out of our very circumstances the seeds of
prosperity greater, surer and safer than any that
the Union has ever given us. | do not believe in
the madness OF the Cabinet, for nothing but mad
ness can provoke war with the Gulf States To-
wards the close he said "New England NAV in
deed never be coerced into slave confederacy.-
But when the battles of Abraham Lincoln are
ended, and compromises worse than Crittenden's
are adopted, New England may claim the right to
secede. And as sure as gun is fired tonight at
Fort Sumter, within three years from to-day you
will see these thirty States gathered under Con-
| stitution twice as damnable as that of 1857"