New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-03-13
WENDELL PHILLIPS'S GRAFTON
ON
T0USSAINT E0UVERTURE.

the Cooper Institute on Wednesday evening, "n'
last night in Brooklyn at the Academy OF Aas'e'
The following is full report:
LADIES AND GEYrLEMEs: have been reqnes's19
To offer to Won sketch made some years slnce' vi
one of the most remarkable men OF the iase Reue'"
ton. Toussant LOuyefure, the grea. on'cl,a'u "
ST, Domipgo-an mmixed negro, WIN no uIvp Va
white blood IN hls ve,ns. ., on"o bograpby
and an arguments biography, OF course, very
hr;ef and which offer to you as an argument III
bebaif az the race from which he sprang. ION PCT
i've from the very announcement OF my supJeec'
thsf om about TO compare and weigh races; III
DEED / am engaged tong in what you will think
the absurd effort to convince You thst tne negro
race instead of being that object OF pity or con-
tempt which We usually consider IT. is entitled,
udeed by the facts Of history, TO place close oy
he side OF tie Saxon. Now races love ~ 10
| in two ways--by the great men they produce snu
/ by the average merit of the mass OF the
race We Saxons are proud OF tue Dacoh
the Shakespeare, the usmpden, tne nauooch, 'hc
Woshng on, the stars we have lent 10 tne RaiAJ Va
histcry and then we turn with equal pride to the
average merit OF Saxon blood, since 1t streamed
forth from lis German home. So, again, thore are
three tests by winch races love to be tried. The
first the basis Of all, is courage-the clement which
SAWS, This continent il mine, from the Lakes 10
the Gulf; let him beware that seeks 70 oivide H.
lCheers.l Aud the second is the recognition OF the
force doubled by purpose; liberty regulated by law
is the secret Of Saxon progress. And the third eie-
ment is persistency, endurance; first purpose,
then death or success Now out Of these three ele-
ments i'd made that Saxon pluck which has placed
our race in tho van Of modern civilization.
In tie hour you lend Inc tonight ain to attempt
the Quixotic eiiortto convince You that the negro
blood instead of standing at the bottom OF the cata'
logue Judged either by its great men or Its masses,
either by its courage It's purpose, or its endurance
takes ITS place as near to as any other blood
known to history. And for the purpose Of my ar
Qument take an island, 81. Domingo, about the
size of South Carolina, the third spot in America
upon which Columbus placed his foot. Charmed by
the msgnifcence Of i,s scenery and fertility OF It's
soil he gave il the fondest Of all names, Hispaniols,
Little Spain. His successor, more pious, rebap.
tzsd 1t from 81. Dominic, ST. Domingo, and
when the blacks, in 1901, drove our white
lloOd from ts surface, they drove our names
with us, aud gave it the old name,
Hayti, the lend Of mountains II was originally
epanted by the 6libusters, French and Spanish, OF
the early commercial epoch, the pirates Of that dsy
as of ours. The Spanish took the Eastern two
thirds, the French the Western third OF tho Island
and they gradually settled H." colonies The
French, TO whom my story belongs, became the Pes
colony Of TIE mother land. Guarded by peculiar
privileges, enriched by the seions OF its wealthy
houses aided by the unmatched fertility of it's soil
il soon was the richest gem in the Bourbon crown,
and at the period to which I.eal your attention,
about the era Of our Constitution. lIS9 its wealth
was almost incredible. The efiemnaey of the white
race rvaled that of the Sybarte of antiquity, while
the fpendor Of their private life outshone Versailles.
and their lavish luxury found 10 male bnI IN
the mad prodigality OF the C@zars. AT this
time the Island held about 1000 whites,
90 600 or 80 600 muattoes and 500, 600 slaves TIE
mulattoes, as with Us, We're children OF the slave
holders but unlike us, the French stakeholder
forgot his child by "a bondwoman. lie gave him
everything but bis rame-weelth, rieh plantations,
gangs OF slaves sent bin him 10 Paris for his educa-
ton, summoned the best culture of France for the
instruction Of his daughter, 90 that in 1870 the mu-
latto held onehrd Of the real estate and one-qusr-
ter of the personal estate Of the island. But though
educated and rch, he bowed under the same yoke as
with u.s. His con might not cit on the same seat q!
school with q white boy; he might not enter q
church where white man was worrbipingi he
must IL he entered n town on horseoacE, dismonnt
and lead bis horse by the bride, aud when be died,
even Lie dust .vuld rest In the same soil with
white body.
II was over this ground the white man melted in
sensuality the muato feeling all the more keenly his
degradation from the very wealth aud culture that he
enjoyed the slave sUen and Indifferent heed
ing not the quarrels the changes Ct the upper air
it was this population that there burst In 1890
the thunder storm Of the French Revolution. The
fret wordstbat reached the island were the motto Of
the Jacobin Club-Iiberty, Equality. The white
man heard them aghss. lie had read of tho streets
of Paris running blood Tho slave beard them with
indifference; it quarrel betwxt upper sections
W bich did not concern him. The muatto heard
them with Welcome which dread OF other sections
could quell. Hastily summoned into Conventions,
they sent to Paris a joint Committee Of the whole
body, laid at the feet Of the National Convention
the Tree gift Of 6OOO 600 OF francs, mortgaged their
estates TO one-ifth Of their rental toward the pay
mept of the national debt and all they asked ia re-
nrn was that they should be freed from the yoke Of
social contempt.
Xou may esdy imagine the temper in which
Mrabeau and RObespierrs received tho manifestation
4 he Gift ~ ha mn oil
Indies, and in which tie petition for equal civil
rights was received by body that had ust resolved
that all men were equal. The Convention hasteued
TO express their gratitude for he liberal offer OF their
fellow citizens OF The Republic and they issued de-
cree which commences TINS: " All ireeborn French
men are equal before the law" They selected OgC
the intimate friend OF Lafayette lieutenant Ia the
Dutch service, the son Of wealthy mulatto woman,
educated in Paris the conrade oil all the leading
French Kepublicans-to carry the decree and the
message OF French Democracy 10 the Islands. He
landed. The decree Of the National Convention
W 80 lid the cable of the Constituent Assembly Of
the island. One old planter seized it, tore il in rag
men,s, tramped IL under his foot, swearing by all
the saints ia the calendar that the Island might sink
before they would share their rights with bsstaros
They took an old muattO, worth million, who he'd
timpy asked for bis nights under That decree, and
hung him. white lawyer OF 10 WHO drafted the
petition, they hung at his side. hey took Ogt,
broke hig on the wheel ordered him 10 be drawn
and quaItered end one quarter OF bis body to be
hung up each of Tie four principal cities OF the
island and then they adjourned
You eau conceive better than can describe It the
mood IN which MlrabeAu and Dauton received the
news that their decree had been torn in pieces aud
trampled uuJer foot by the petty Legislature Of IN
leland colony and their comradc drawn ard qudtered
by the orders OF its governor. RoiespieiIe rIsnei
to the tribune and shouted, Perish TIE isandl be-
fore we rae fce one Of the rigLts Of French cti-
zens" The Convention reaiilr1ed their decree, and
mt ft.df me IA
But u wac not then Us now, when steam has mar
,La tnok Uonthe q conn.