The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-03-10
WENDELL PHILLIPS.
His Speech in Favor of Suffrage
for Negroes. ~

:. LUZ Negroes - :
WENDELL PHILLIPS contributed his share
toward the celebration of Washington's
birthday by an address at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music. The subject an
nounced was "Our Country-Our Whole
Country" The Academy was filled in
every part. THEODORE Triton introduced
Mr.. Phillips avs Z
Mr.: Phillips commenced by saying that he
would not willingly forget the day on which
they were assembled, the birthday of the great
American chief, and certainly no one could for
get the week in which they were assembled
week winch gives to the loyal States of the
North the news that the very heart of the con-
federacy has been touched, and that our flag
floats again over the brain and heart of rebel
ion-Charleston. Applause. Very few an.
ecdotes, he said, had come down to MS of
Washington. He was always the stately chief
among his equals, rarely soldier sympathiz-
ing with his troops. But one of the half a
dozen stories which he remembered of Wash.
ington had ct this time O peculiar significance.
We are told that one bitter night in Ian.
uary, when Washington was wishing for
some particular return from some scout. he
waited hour after hour in the tent of Col
onel Pickering's body servant, a negro :.
and as the night waned away and no news
came, tired and sleepy, he turned to the man
and asked, ''can sleep somewhere here ?" and
the black pointed him to q buffalo skin-his
own bed. Washington wrapped himselfin the
ample folds and lay down to rest After an
hours nap he walked, and saw in the dull cold
morning the black sitting on a Ncamp-stool
shivering, uncovered. Said he, stake, come
here, there is room for two under this skin, ("
and the black lay down by the American
chief, and they slept the night out side by SIDE
To-day for the first time America finds her flag
broad enough to cover the black and the white
equally together. For long time, the speaker
this contest In 1868 the North lifted up the
gage of battle which South Carolina had thrown
at its feet, and said, "The continent is mine
and it shall be mine, with justice to every hui.
man being" To day for the first time, the con-
tinent opens her bosom to the rays of Gods
moral sun for the first time the nation evinces
it's purpose to live by justice; for the first
time the pulpit can open the Bible without q
blush, and politics can face its statute book
Charleston in our hands to day? The South
has had good generals and good soldiers, and
many victories. Could you imagine bitterer
drop that Gods chemistry could mix for son
of the Palmetto State than that Massachu-
sets flag and colored regiment should take
possession of Charleston IGreat applause. |
In the whole history of poetic retribntion
complete retribution It was the recklessness
of South Carolina that made the rebellion o
failure. Jefferson Davis never intended to re-
bel; he never meant to quit Washington. He
was to usurp the government there; Brock
inridge was to refuse to count the ballots for
Lincoln, and by that gigantic fraud rebellion
was to have put on the garment of law. If
this had been done, rebellion would have tri-
umphed. But South Carolina-the gun point
ed at Sumter-kicked the traces, and dragged
Davis to the trenches, and made him rebel
No man, after our success, can doubt that de-
mocracy is competent to face any danger. The
greatest danger to US now is in ourselves. Are
we capable Of governing ourselves? There
must be unity of purpose In first-class nation.
England has two engineers and cannot move.
One is Palmerston the other Bright. lap
plause. One the monarchy, the other the
people. So she crawls like spaniel before
the French Cromwell Napoleon. The devil
is strong, the saint is strong; but half devil
and half saint is humbug. In 1850 we were
all devil, and were united. We were vast
harmonious whole, built and governed by sla-
very.
were not nation-we had not that unity of
purpose necessary to command the respect Of
first principle of national fair play; she struck
man when he was down. And when the ma
ton wakes up and plants her flag all over the
land, she will be strong enough to forget and
pity the repe1tant kingdom that gave her
birth. Great Applause. But hereafter
we must have a nation newly built on
freedom. Unjust he wholly rebuilt. God says
to US, build me nation" From the storm
and blackness of battle he says, there is the
climate, here is the land, here are the men,
build me nation" The black man must be a
part Of 1t. The genius of America shall drop q
school-house and ballot-box into every cradle
the moment it contains baby. This, said the
speaker, is my text. brought the negro with
me; I never expect for some years to come
here without him. 1 don't have to speak for
him, thank God l speak of him, for he has
and only consummation of our work. The
battle fought, the greater battle is before rs.
1T is big job said Abraham Lincoln,
and he never spoke q truer word. Uaughter.)
We cannot have Union without an identity
of our systems of labor. Two dogs chained
together don't make marriage.
The reason Massachusetts, and South Caro-
lima fought was not because Mr.. Lloyd Garri-
son was born, but because the two systems OF
labor came face to face and sprapg to battle
There must be at the South labor, educated,
contented, and honored. a, Put in the hand OF
the negro ballot, and a patent Democrat in
Louisiana will ask him to take ride. Laugh
ter. You've killed slavery. The amendment
has killed it. 1t must and will pass. and we
may argue from it as an accomplished fact
The safety of this country is in being color
blind. Tfample under foot the remnant, Of
prejudice against race lift the negro into the
possibility of educating himself; build the ma
ton on the cornerstone of justice, and then
s'Sail on thou, too, oh, ship of state" &C.
Mr.. Phillips closed by reciting the whole OF