Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-11-07
EQUAL RIGHTS.
THE OLD AND TRIED FRIENDS OF FREEDOM IN
COUNCIL AT KENNETH sQUARE-sPEEcH OF
WENDELL. PHILLIPS,

EQUAL RIGHTS.
THE OLD AND TRIED FRIENDS OF FREEDOM IN
COUNCIL AT KENNETH sQuARE-sPEEcH OF
WENDELL PHILLIPS.
Tuesday was gala-day for Kennett Square
and the neighborhood around 1t, three large meet
ings being held there under the auspices of the
Pennsylvania ADti-Slavcry Society, and the en-
thusasm Of that good old Quaker neighborhood
was awakened to something like the fervor of
those by gone days when 1t was not quito so easy
to awaken popular enthusiasm In behalf of Justice
as 1t now Is.
On account Of the Town Hall being deemed too
small to hold the crowds expected to be present,
Mr.. Pennock had cleared and fitted up one OF
his large car shops for the meetings, and the at
tendance fully demonstrated the necessity for the
increased room. The shop was comfortably fitted
up and gaily decorated with evergreens and flags.
At II A. M. the first meeting was organized by
the election of Mrs. Chandler Darlington to the
Chair, and Isaac Mendiphall as Secretary. Lucreta
Mott Robert Purvis, Mary Grew, Mrs. Harper
and other prominent abolitionists were on the
| platform. During the session speeches were
made by Edward NJ. Davis and Miss Mary Grew
and Lucretia Mott. Miss Grew at the beginning
| of her remarks offered series of three resolu-
| tious.
| Resoiued, That the revelations which are daily
made of The continued purpose OF the leaders of
the South to regain, by political diplomacy, the
supremacy which they lost on the battlefield
| wards the colored man throughout the South, ex-
cepting where such manifestations are restrained
| by the presence Of the United States military
| forces prove that the work of the American
abolitionists is not completed, and call us to stand
faithfully at our posts until those to whose re-
demption we are pledged are in full possession of
| their liberty.
The second endorses the Anti-Sluvery Standard
and urges all friends of freedom to give 1t gene
| rous support.
| The third was as follows:
Resoired, That we do not believe in Radicalism
| that Is dumb and, therefore, we warn the Re-
| publican party against the fatuity OF nominating
General Grant for the Presidency, in the hope OF
saving the party's life by the sacrifice Of its prn-
cipcs.
Without acting on the resolutions the meeting
| adjourned for dinner.
The attendance in the afternoon was larger
even than in the morning and in addition to those
already named there were on the platform Wen
dell Phillips and Thomas Garrett. An eloquent
| speech was made by Mrs. Harper and remarks
were made by Mary Grew, Lucretia Mott, and
| Wendell Phillips. The first two resolutions were
passed without difficulty, but the Inst was yigor--
ousy opposed and was finally postponed until
evening.
THE EVENING MEETING,
was the grand one of the occasion, and the large
building was crowded to almost Its full capacity,
people swarmng into the town from miles around
the neighborhood. Before half-past seven, the
hour announced for Mr.. Phillips lecture to COM
people in the building.
AT the appointed hour the meeting was called
TO order, and after resolution OF thanks had
been rendered Mr.. Pennock for the building he
had furnished for the use of the meeting, and the
Battle Hymn of the Republic had been sung by
some young ladies', the audience joining in the
chorus, Mr.. Phillips was introduced to the audi
ence He was welcomed with storm of ap-
plause, and by his matchless eloquence held those
who doubted, as well as those who approved of
his ideas, spell bound for nearly two hours We
make the following brief abstract of the
SPEECH OF WENDELL PHILLIPS.
Mr.. Phillips opened with u graceful allusion to
song just sung and to the flags displayed SO con-
! spicuously about the room. He said the time
had been when the Abolitionists justly repudi-
ated that flag as the badge of oppression, but
now it hung of right at the very topmast Of all
Ant-Slaycry efforts, for it now means Equality,
| Liberty, and freedom. lie also thanked the al-
diencc Tor their hearty welcome, saying 1t was
the most embarrassing manner in which an old
Abolitonist could be received, they had been so
long used to the hcalthful excitement of mob
abuse.
This nation, if it live, must live on the corner
stone of absolute equality. People wonder how
such rapid progress in this direction was made,
, and ascribe IL to the work or influence of this
man or that man, or to some certain set OF men,
but no one individual could make such change.
The truth is, we were like the current above Nj
; agara, irresistbly drifting towards this change
and could not avert it, In the beginning the idea
was equality, and that was the direction in which
we started. 1t was the American idea. And then
men attempted to make barrier against that
great Niagara of the American idea. They at
tempted to launch a government in this current
and expect it to remain upon the brink. They
gave it the Bower Anchor of the church, the
: sheet anchor of Constitutional guarantee, and
thought that they had cheated God.
Men saw that this could not continue. Seward,
t when in 1913, before he had lost his brains, he
announced the Irrepressbe Conflict recog-
,iyn II, fnnxrh had fftt liar
and burning anthracite In a cannon and then
plugged 1t UP. In 1861 the cannon burst. People
1 then awoke and asked what shall be done, not
/ what is best probably, but what does necessity
visers, with two antagonstic ideas. One was the
Buchanan, the Crittendcn, and, with all respect
the Lincoln idea. This idea was to patch up the
fragments and make it like it was: Put back the
I coal and the powder and plug 1t up again. 1t was
from disrespect that he said this was the Lin
! coin idea; Lincoln was representative man, was
! the natural outgrowth of our institutions. If you
i want to see what Lincoln must be, go to Ken
lucky aud see whence he sprung 1t was hard
i | for any man born under such influences to sec
i God under u black skin. A Wing could not grow
4 taller than Henry Clay, for the Wing party was
party which believed in God, not the people
the Democratic party believed in neither.
Lincoln said it was his first duty to save the
Union. Twenty millions said amen. But he said
If he could save the Union without touching
slavery, 1t was his duty to do that. This was
q putting slavery on pal with the institution OF
marriage, with the Habeas Corpus or any other
great or essential interest or principle This idea
: was mistake which wasted millions of dollars
d and cost hundreds of thousand of our best lives
|, Butler, Fremont, and others saw the opportunity
: said use Slavery MS weaponand save your money
y and lives.
They said when the opportunity is presented t.
overthrow it 1t was the Presidents duty to taxi
:, advantage of the opportunity. Fremont started
d his movement of this id0a in 1861 He wa
! thwarted by the government and from that mo
: mcnt was the dividing line drawn between thu
earnest friends of liberty and the Republican par
Il ty. From that time the Republican party. hay
q labored for success and not for justice. He as
y scribed this to the potent Influence slavery ex
:; erted in past years, and said that in conse
u quence Lincoln was our best man. But of Lin
y, coin he said he always ready to learn, Away
o moved forward. OF the Bourbons IL had bee
4 said they never learned anything, and they neve
u forgot anything, of johnson II might be said Ii
~ had forgotten many things and learned nothing.
- The Republican party did not educate the pee
~ pie to make any sacrifices except for party sue
r cess, and hence when recently they asked ther
=, !. to make sacrifice in OHIO, which did not seer
V required for the party, they refused and losin
y the terrible directness of purpose which anlmt
u ted them through the war sloughed over toward
!, the Democratic party. 1t was this which cause
~ them to lose their opportunity offered 10 the be
u Y, ginning of the war, and, consequently McClella
" buried thousands in the swamps OF the Chick
=, hominy in an Intellectual effort how not to do
70 and hence, debt, which weighs like an incubus
Nv the nation, taking away from tue Auericun w
extra dollar he has had on Saturday nigh
which distinguished him from the European
working man and represented the intellectual in
provement, the refinement and the education
his children, which laborers nowhere else ha,
ever had. By our moral blindness to the ncce
We sy OF justice and the iniquty of slavery we ha
TO brought on ourselves debt which reduces I
nearer to a slavish condition than we would la,
been had the war been finished in six months,
'ls it might have been Instead of being dragged OF
Va five years. with the result not yet certain-its hn
vest not yet gathered.
cd He accused the leaders of the Republican part
OF putting off the merited impeachment of Il
mo- President from motives Of personal ambition al
rs supposed party policy. He said it was time the
,rt had quit asking ii Grants or Colfaxs or Chase
ler prospects might not be hurt. There was not
a Republican of sufficient Importance to
=, known 20 miles from his own home who do
e ~, not, in conversation admit the iustica of In
ch parchment, but that this action Of their leade
is bunting on this question the moral sense
is the people.
He repeated bis statement made four years ag
Inn..