Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-10-20
WENDELL PHILLIPS Oh PRESIDENT
JOHNSON AND GEN. GRANT.


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WENDELL PHILLIPS ON PRESIDENT
JOHNSON AND GEN. GRANT.
BosroN, Oct. 1s.-The second lecture Of
the old Bay State was delivered to a crowded
audience in the fremont Temple this even
ing, by WENDELL PHILLIPs, upon the peril
of the hour. The appearance Of Mr.. PHIL
LIPS was the signal for prolonged applause.
One year ago, he said, when he told an
audience in that hall that the South meant
to accomplish by diplomacy what she had
failed to do by arms, and that the Executive
was not a power to be conciliated but an
enemy to be watched, there were as many
there who thought him unduly suspicious as
there were few now to deny it. The great
weakness of Democratic government, he
continued, was that the masses were impa-
tient to succeed, and it was the duty of all
leaders to engraft into the body polite the
virtue ofits opponents.
He said that one year ago he expressed it
as his belief that JEFF. DAVIS never meant
to rebel, never intended to fight the flag, or
to desert Washington; that the fatal mistake
of the Southern movement was that it lost
the sure, anchored element of neutrality.
Fifty years hence, he believed the evidence
would be ample that that was true. They
meant that the North should be the rebels,
while they held the Government. The great
danger Of the present day was the same as
during the war. When the power Of the
South was a bugbear there was no strength
outside the national lines to be feared like
the cowardly unreadiness of the Northern
masses TO accept their proper stand.
As long ago as last June the Government
pllnned, with the aid of the Executive, to
place herself just where the retreat from
Washington failed to place her in 1861.
She has not given up the intention yet. Fifty
years hence, he believes, there would be no
doubt Of that.
Mr.. JOHNSON may surrender a point, but
the great purpose behind him lives, and what
had the North with which to meet il? He
said, tlro unauIulitr d;~fl~yOL III tn recent
elections was an evidence of their power to
oppose the danger: the unanimity also Of
the leading Republicans of the day, who to
a man are pledging themselves as thorough
ly. Convinced of the necessity Of impartial
suffrage, all these men were speaking in ia
vor of impartial suffrage, but why, he asked,
did they not enact their belief into a fact.
The remedy for that was to send those back
to Congress and tell them to act their entire
belief. He wanted Congress to commence
its next session as a perpetual one. Every
moment that it was not in session the South
was ruling the Government, and he would
have the next Congress enact that they
should assemble in March, 1867, and be
themselves the Government. In conclusion
he said five years ago we had man in the
White House who called himself public
functionary; who has been engaged in the
last year in explaining to the world why
treason did not succeed. Do your duty.
We have got traitor in the White House
who calls himself Gan humble individual"
Do your duty, and he viii be explaining
FIVE years hence why he did not succeed. He
would say to the New York Tribune, the
National Republican Committee, and Con-
gress itself, go back and sit down in the
House Of Representatives and govern the
republic, and for the first act in that Gov
ernmentimpeach the President. Applause
He would have the House Of Representa-
tives impeach the President, place the Presi-
dent of the Senate in his Office, then the
people would run the machine. Applause.
The great trouble of our Government was
that the pivotal men of the republic can
have his policy unchanged for four years.
In this connection, he stated that HENRY
WILso ON said he knew, in January last, that
the President meant to betray them. If he
knew, (said Mr.. PHILLIPs) why did youallow
the storm to beat upon few men who we're
standing on the Outposts and proclaiming
what he already knew that was not service
Of the republic. A great fault in the part
had been the foolish fear of letting the peo-
pie know the real fact He believed the
people could govern themselves. The recon-
-. 1
begin Immediately. 1t would begin when it
was safe for a Massachusetts man to walk
the streets of New Orleans. They might
fill the House Of Representatives with men
like A. II. STEPHENS, and a reconstruction
would not commence.
He would have the South and Southwest
made like the victorious North. There was
no hurry-the South would wait Speaking
of the constitutional amendment, he de-
nounced the insertion Of the word male as 3
libel on the nineteenth century.
The desertion Of the negro made it not
only an unjust but infamous proposition.
He asked whose fault it was that blood had
been spilled in the streets of Memphis and
New Orleans. He asserted that the policy
of the President had something 10 do with
it, but thatwas not all. 1t was Gen. GRANT,
Applause and Kisses.
The most humiliatOry position occupied
on this continent, he said, was by q. S.
GRANT. If they had conquered, why we're
not the streets Of New Orleans safe? If the
President would not let Gen. GRANT protect
life and liberty there, then GRANT should re-
sign. HENRY Wilson knew the President
was false and hid it. Gen. GRANT knew the
South was not safe, and allowed it to be.
of" said Mr.. PHILLTPs, "Gen. GRANT does
not mean to makethe South safefor North
ern man, he is not fit to hold his Office. If
he has not the means to do, then he should
ask for them, and If the President viii not
permit him 70 do it, then he should imme-
diately resign his position as General. II he
does not want to do his duty, then denounce
him as a traitor.