Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-30
A Union by Force-wendeII Phillip.

A Union by FOrce-we ndeI Phillips
ON nc.
At the recent anniversary meeting of the
American ~Auti-Slavery Society. Wendell Phil
lips said:
You can never make this nation one by force.
1t was possible in 1861. when, as / think, one
half of the South was Union and the other half
Confederate. The great Crittenden resolution Of
July, 1861, was based on that idea-that a large
body of Southern white men were on our side,
and only wanted to be assured that we meant to
be conciliatory, and they would show themselves.
Possibly it might have been so; but we can never
know now. because every month of the war has
built up a Confederate sentiment; angered, con-
frmed against US. Jefferson Davis made a rebel
lion; il was all he could make. Abraham Lin
coin made a Confederacy; no man but he could
have made il. Misses. We'll, il Tits not true dis
prove il. Applause The Crittenden resolution
was passed, as l believe, on the sound basis that
the South had been hurried against her will into
rebellion. Fremonts statesmanlike word ech-
Oed over Missouri. Applause Had it been sec
ondsd. with that element at the South aud SINH
lar enthusiasm at the North, we might have
beaten out the rebellion in six or nine months,
and had the South not thoroughly alienated from
Us. But the men who have lost their sons, their
property, their houses, who have seen the loved
form of their State beaten to ~ashes-these men
n NON0aI OOnAC4CAa nun - AZ NCl
once Unionists from old association. Three
years of war have rooted that which was merely
a temporary rebellion into a planted Coufederacy,
and it Is the slownesS and Indifference of the
Government that have done it. To day, there
fore, the man who takes the helm of the vessel
of State in his hand, has a ten fold harder work
TO do than Abraham Lincoln had in March, 1861
for he has got the South. so far as such a thing
can be. unanimous against him. You cannot
reconstruct this Union on the LOYALTY of the
white men at the South there is nothing of il.
You may conquer them to New Orleans you
may cover Virginia with the best blood Of the
North and of the South both, aud, when it is
over the South will hate you worse than before.
You must reconstruct these States on the loyalty
of somebody. How shall il be donel There
are but two ways.
One is to keep them territories for twenty
years, until this generation dies out, until the
temptations of business. until the patronage of
the Government, until the associations, until the
immigration of Northern mercantile interests
shall replace that white population. Then Won
NAV do it. But, in the meantime. you must
keep one half of this country under the form Of
Territories, and trust the Government with
despotic power. l tremble for such an expert
ment. In the hands Of such men as some we
have seen il the Presidential chair, L should
give up all hopes of ever again seeing a Republic.
The only other way to reconstruct the Union and
save republican institutions is to reconstruct it on
the only loyal basis that exists-the blacks.
lApplause.l Ii there are hot 1000 white men
in Sew Orleans who will vote for US, as there are
not (Gen. Banks had to press his own soldiers up
TO the ballot box to make that number then
take the 400 900 blacks-give them a vote-link
them to the fortunes of the Union-acknowledge
the manhood of the black man till the white man
is converted lApplause.l