The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-06-23
What Wendell Phillips said.

What Wendell Phillips said.
Nr. WENDELL PHn1ps has been accus-
toned to contemn public opinion, but
finding that his advocacy of reputation in
case negro suffrage was not adopted, had
raised a storm of indignation that was
likely to overWhelm him and his fanatical
notions, has backed squarely down, and
now claims that he never expressed him
self in favor of the reputation of the debt
of the United States, but only of the rebel
debt, if it should be adopted by recon-
structed congress! The reporters, who
fully understood what was said, and took
the speech down verbatim, and many 9TH
er listeners, declare that PHILLIPS did pro-
nounce against the United States debt.
The Boston Courier has the following
paragraph:
The Ami.Slare,y Standard has the assurance
to declare that Mr.. Wendell fhilps mas so 9Th, the
ed the remainder of his DAYS to agitate 1or Tue
Reputation, not of the national but me reoe d
war debt! Those who heard Mr.. Phlllips, arl oi
thew were not few on the occasion OF nis 20
cent speech. know that he clearly, plainly ,.iiu
unequivocally proposed the repuaiatloIh " tho
war debt as the alternative OF reius'l n;oht of
national government to gaIam rcs t of brazen ef
fronte1v can 90 no further than the atteHpt OF
the StGndord to transfer this declaration w .ne
rebel debt. which, as it has never oeen nssu1l
ed and never will be, cali never DC lepuo".eu
The following is portion OF the revised
.neecb from the Anti-Slarery Standard
Of last week. A careful reading shows
tbat # has been doctored for an emergency
not contemplated at the time OF delivery:
I,ook on reconstruction based on white suf.
f,one 40 Int another name for the assumption
nv The nation of the Confederate debt. The
two things are part of the same wno!e. NO
man acquainted with the present mood OF the
white race at the South believes that It's repre-
sentatiyes in Congress will ever vote 10 pay
onr present debt or its interest," unless theirs Is
;nnlnded That is one feature of reconstruc-
, tion on a white basis. We are to plunge into
that gulf of war debt which now threatens to
swallow ND the European nations. Mucn OF
their war debt was fraudulently imposed on
people unable either to resist or protest, anu,
in my opinion, whenever the masses there or
tain their rlgnIS, Lucy Will pioPSAiJ "hA s''AJ
repuaiate much of those debts.
Any imposition upon us of that Confederate
debt carried by means of white suffrage re-
construction. will be fraud upon the people.
Mr.. Summers resolves, adopted by congress,
have attempted a barrier an insufficient one,
/ fear, if this plan of reconstruction on whlte
basis be adopted. For myself protest IN adj
vance against both parts of this one measure,
white rebel suffrage and the assumption OF
rebel debts as fraud on the people. Fraud Vi
tiates all contracts A man or majority may
be bound by national acts to which they
silently submit; but not by those aSainsb
whose validity they protest at the Tune. i, ior
one here avow my purpose 10 DC ppu h y rE Go
such fraud, however covered up. shaii, ne
long, advocate reputation OF any rebel deDt
adoDted by any such reconstructed Congress.
[ shall hold myself at liberty TO Cooperate
with any party which puts on Its banner re-
yu9tation of all rebel debts, NO matter now sa'
credly such bastard Congress may nave as
sumed them / invite others to JOIN me III
this ayowal. till it swels to national protest,
and becomes fair and sufficient warning TO ali
creditors.
We think undue Importance is attached
to the utterances of Mr.. Phillips, as
we'll as :. too much respect paid to
his character. But it has become the
fashion to report and print everything that
is said by the craziest fanatics, and we sup
pose the fashion will continue just SO long
as public sentiment Graves, and is satisfied
with nothing else, but this kind OF food
PHrLIps boasts of having labored for
twenty years to break up the Union, and
now says that 6 far better GRANT had
surrendered to LEE than that the negro
should not be allowed to VOTE and yet
there are found persons in every commun-
ity who will argue that he is patriotic citl-
zen. We regard such man as a criminal,
no more deserving of clemency than the
bitterest secessionist of the South. The
New York Times, in criticising this speech,
well observes: devotion to the negro,
regardless of everything else, affords no
proof of loyalty. An anti-slavery man
may be as thoroughly disloyal as a pro-
slavery man; and if he holds the constl-
tuition and the Union-the authority and
supremacy of the government of the Uni
nited States subordinate to his friendship
for any class or race of men, and acts ac-
cordingly, he has no claim to be consid-
cred loyal citizen-and still less has he
any right to dictate policy to the gov
ernment." We commend these sentiments
TO that class of our fellow citizens who are
unable to comprehend the fact that white
men are of some Importance in the gov
eminent of the country.