The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-11-05
wenuen Philips Upon the "DaWdIinG
Congress- and other Matters.

on Thursday evening, his subject, as
announced, being 1.-The Dawdling Con-
gress." There was large audience
present, from which Mr.. Phillips mad a
very enthusiastic reception. He said
that he could not come to that platform
without calling 10 mind the great VA
riety of topics that had been treated
within the last six weeks from that
desk. The speakers had covered al
most the whole circle of political and
social reform. They had spoken,
among other things, upon the claim of
/ women to the ballot, mostly in oppUsi-
sition to the claim. He would say, II
women defended their right to the bal
lot as RbSurdly as man assails it, they
| would show almost to II demonstration
| that they were uniit 10 exercise the
ballot. He found no livelier enter
tainment anywhere than to see IA third
rate man undertake to define and
measure the capacity and intellect of
Mime. de Stael, or Mary Someryille, or
Harriet Martineau, or E1orence Night
ingale, or Lydia Maria Child. The
temperance question, too, had been
often discussed, and he hoped that the
verdict of the Commonwealth next
week would show that the voters of the
Stale had digesIed the instructions they
had received. He defended the right
to bolt party nominations whenever
conscience dictated, and said that the
Republican party itself was gigantic
bolt from the trammels of the Old
/ Wing party. But ripe as the tenn
perance question is, the question
of the negro race is older and
more ripe. If the Republican party
had done its duty, or its leaders, states
men and conscientious men, knowing
| . hann uFillinD nN9Ff
this nation two or three years ago
would have reached the absolute and
decisive goal OF the settlement of this
question:, and henceforth the idea OF
color or race in American politics would
have been obsolete. From 1851 down
TO the present hour the leaders of the
party, the strongest that ever held the
helm OF the Union, have shown neither
the conscience of Christians nor the
| maturity of statesmen. When John
Brown died at Harper's Ferry he was
Il statesman aB well as martyr, for he
showed the American people the evil
| that cursed them, and the way in which
he died with it. Bonaparte in his Cabi-
net, Bismarck at Berlin, and RataZZi
nj Florence, may be called statesmen;
| but Garibaldi, who takes Italy in his
right hand as thunderbolt and shakes
| il at the walls of Rome, is the man
whose brain discerns clearest the lack
! Ing elGDltUt u up 1Adllhl uhlAN
and the path to supply 1t. In the light
OF this distinction, the speaker crIti-
Cised the Republican Party. The mo
ment rebellion burst into flames, Mr..
Lincoln should have watched the op-
portunity to seize Slavery AS his thun-
derbolt and burl it at the rebels. When
he heard the gun of Sumter, he should
have said, Thank God! the spell is bro.
ken: in the name OF Washington and
Jefferson, seize the great rebel by the
throat and throttle him. He should
have snatched the opportunity to ami
hilnte Slavery by using it es weapon
in the war. The Republican Party has
never undertaken to teach this people
one single measure on the great ground
of its justice. They have never advo'
ca ed one of the great steps OF the war
on the ground OF liberty, and to-day
the American people do not look
MT their duty in the light of justice,
but of party nee, ssity. Andrew
johnson has for two years resisted the
power of Congress, not in manly
way, but in pure spirit of defiance.
II was said OF the Bourbons that they
learned nothing and forgot nothing,
but johnson has learned nothing and
forgot ii great deal. But Mr.. Johnson
is in earnest in the work which he has
undertaken, and is supported by all
rebeldom, and Congress alter Congress
has met and adjourned, leaving the
President master of the situation. The
Republican leaders ought, last Spring
to have stated to the country that ne
gro suffrage was necessity at the
South, and that it could not be eniorc'
ed without negro suffrage in Connectt-
cut, Ohio, Pennsylvania &c. The peo.
Pile would have submitted, whether it
was done by the method of Mr.. sum-
uer or as an amendment to the ConsLi-
tuition. But instead OF that the Con-
Rressional leaders remitted the ques-
lion by piecemeaL Congress should
tional measure, aud We should have
had no more it. What we get before
the South enters, is all this generation
ever will get. We might have put Lou
isiAna in the Senate in 1862, and whip
ped her into position; but put Carolina
into that Senate to-day and she will
trim, and pare down, and undermine,
and confuse, and balk every best meas
ure of the Government. Therefore, be-
fore these ten States enter this Union,
one thing is snecessary-that we should
reap the harvest OF the war, which is,
that there should no more be eyes in
the law at Washington that can see a
negro. Every man born on the soil
must be II citiZAn, and every citizen
must be an equal! That is the end OF
the war. Ifyou can mske that Senate
and House at Washington put down
its foot that the Republican party, as a
party, shall make that the tap-root 1oi
American institutions, 1t can be done
before 1869. But let ten States enter
before 1t is done and the youngest OF
us will never live to see it done. We
need. both for North and South, dozen
ltrus statesmen, but we have them not.
The reprC sentative man at Washington
to-day is the great American riddle
| Out OF twenty millions of people who
have watched him for six years,
not one knows his opinions. The pen-
nile stand on the verge of Niagara to-
day. having buried half million OF
martyrs and mortgHged the industry OF
the country, ready TO launch forward
under the guidance of man who says,
shnt YOUR ewes and give the fate of tine
neopie TO me. We did so once, the
people said. We flung back an honest
/ Yankee and took the untried and uu-
pledged Johnson, and put him at the
head OF the Government. God grant
wa, NAV make no second mistake. He
whuIu not take from the brow OF Grant
one siugle leaf of his, lRurels,. aud
would grant what his most admlrins
eulopists claim; but he asked of nie
admirers what was his policy for the
future, and what his views OF the pres
ent. Abraham Lincoln's face was
IZionward, because no matter what MS
purposes to-day, he was ready 70 Keep
hissmind open for better purposes to-
nnorroW. There succeeded him a man
with his face heIl-waId, and now we are
to choose a man of whom the pubic
reioices and is proud TO know that they
I4 not know which way his face points.
| Mr Phillips criticised General Grant
and Senator Wilson seyerely and con-
cinded his address by stating that the
IInion need not be despaired of, for the
ha hratna nE tnn