The national Republican., 1866-07-09
WENDELL PHILLIPS AGAINST
THF PRESIDENT AND CON-
GRESS

WENDELL PHILLIPS alred hlmseH IN
grove about fifteen miles north Of Boston on
the 4th of July, with Miss ANNA DICKINSON,
and made speech, in which he brought fresh
accusations against The President and Con
gress. His accusation against The PREsI-
DENT was that he hopes TO be reelected in
1868, and that he will shape his policy SO as
to ensure that end and use the patronage Of
the Government in that direction. He al
legged that The PRESIDENT, instead Of stand
ing up for negro suffrage, is leading the
South in the policy Of restoring as closely as
possible, and as exactly as possible, the
Union as il was and the Constitution Us it
was, with not one clause added or altered
since 1860" Although The President is
not leading the South any more than he is
the North in the work Of restoration, it is
true that, beyond the amendment already
ratified abolshing slavery in the States. he is
for restoring as closely as possible and as ex-
actly as possible the Union as it was. He
leaves the question of suffrage precisely
where the Constitution leaves it, and where,
after struggle after impossibilities, the rad
icals in Congress have been obliged to leave
it-with the States themselves. Under the
Constitution as it is, WENDELL PHILLIPS
knows Just as well as THApDEus STEVENS that
The President cannot do otherwise without
violating the adjudged meaning Of that sacred
instrument He made no point against The
PRESIDENT for dissenting from the congress
sional amendments proposed to the Consti-
tutlon for the reason that he considered them
a mere political trick-a sham.
He upbraided Congress with moral cow
ardice, and HENRY WILSON in particular with
duplicity He accused that body with be-
traying the friends Of universal suffrage by
surrenderng the very point in issue. Con-
cerning the proposed amendments he said:
What want you to observe is that Con-
gress to, day does not propose to settle the
question involved in the revolution. Our
leaders in Congress know that the amend
ment will be rejected. OF course it will be-.
The President has put his foot down against
it, and has warned the Southern States not to
endorse it. He has told them in so many
words that they will have his support in re-
fusing to ratify it. 1t is not possible, there
fore that that amendment will be accepted
Congress Judges that the Republican party
will be victorious Mt the ballotbox, and that
unfettered by the adoption Of the amend
| ment, Congress will be able to pass an act
that will give ballot to the negro. They
hope and expect that after the defeat OF the
amendment they will return to Congress at
the fall elections stronger Than they are to-
day. They do not want that amendment ac-
cepted. The worst possible news that Thad.
Stevens could hear would be the ratification
Of the amendment. ! do not disgrace the
whole proceedings when l say that it is n
party trick. Cries Of Hear, hear.1 1t is
got up to serve a purpose, to kill time till
after the fall elections and get rid OF press
ing emergency
And he was not much out Of the way.
Nobody believes that THADDEUs STEVENS
expected those amendments to be adopted
by three-fourths of all the States; hence that
measure was not intended to settle the con-
troversy which the radicals have raised. 1t
was merely congressional trick to keep the
representatives from the eleven unrepresented
States out of their seats until after the fall
elections" to kill time"
We have been anxious to see whether the
radicals in Congress had so managed as to
secure the appreciation of the aboitionists.
This is the first gun from their lines upon
the subject, and it is significant. Nothing
short of an entire obliteration Of State rights
will answer their purpose. Here it is in nut
shell
MY apprehension is with regard to State
sovereignty, still strong enough to commit
treason. would cut down State sovereignty
by congressional act or constitutional amend
ment so much as to allow the Federal Gov
ernment to arrange political rights and to
protect the civil privileges Of its citizens
within the several States"
He would cut down State sovereignty so
much as to allow the Federal Government
to arrange political rights. This cannot be
done except by amending the Constitution
in that respect; and there would be very few
States outside Of New England which would
vote for such proposition. To commit any
party to such question would be to doom
1t to defeat at the polls.
1t is very easy thing for men who have no
responsibility to say that they would never do