Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-01-29

The Massachusetts, Anti.slayery So
defy was the germ Of the Radical party.
twas the forge and the heat in which
was, wrought the tremendous engine
which arrayed section against section,
and produced civil war with its coneomi-
tant evils. The men and women who
compose it are honest, earnest, but de-
luded. They are not politicians in any
sense Of the word. They are people who
pursue an idea regardIessof eonsequen~
ces, let it lead to the success or defeat
Of parties. The society has just closed
a meeting in which its choice spirits par
ticipated Chief among them, Of course,
was Wendell Phillips. It has powerful
influence on large body ofvoters in the
Northeastern States, and from the tenn
per displayed at this meeting, it is clear
that they are not going to be satisfied
with Grant as the representative of their
ideas in the coming Presidential contest.
Mr.. Phillips delivered himself as follows (:
The idea ofreferring matters TO an edu~
Gated class is not only alien to the theory
of our institutions, but events have shown
it to be an absurd resource. The colored
men showed that they understood the needs
and necessities of our country better than
the men of the South twas thought that
my resolution was rather hard on General
q hat f1a (ao,, orol I~1 a.,
many decisive actions. No doubt he has.
He has been as decisive az Fessenden, of
Maine, he has taken sides as Sherman, of
Ohio, he has obeyed the laws which Trum-
bull had voted for; he is as good Repub.
lican az Conkling, Of New York; he is as
much Radical as Edmunds, of Vermont.
Well, would cut off both my hands before
/ would vote for either one of those for
President of the United States, Republican
or not. And because Grant is as good as
Conkling and Edmunds and Fessenden, he
is fit to be President. The negro has a
right to vote, and if he can keep it ten
years be can make something of it. But,
in the meantime, il he sees the Republican
party trading his rights; if he sees one
half ready to throw him overheard if it
will promote their interests, he sees all the
business of the South at a stand check, aud
thegreat civil questions are not decided.
A man is brought forward for the Presi-
dency whose opinions-if be has any-are
to go great way TO decide the policy of
the'government The negro asks what his
opinions are, and says a big weight in
| his scale will guarantee him his
rights forever, while a small one
may set his rights a6oat. He wishes
to know if he may ask what the candidate
thinks, and receives a negative answer.
| He asks if there is anybody certain
! that he has got any opinion, and nobody is
certain. Let me ask that man TO vote for
Gen. Grant, and you may ask me to vote
for him. Twelve years hence when the
white race have been conquered, when
business has all its channels opened and
cleared, when the negro has his vote, and
we are discussing eight hours and woman's
rights then Gen. Grant or the great Amer
lean traveller Daniel Pratt, may have the
Presidency Now, while the issue re-
mains fluid, the lava is hot, while the rev.
| oIution is not ended, while we are Just
putting our increase into harvest want
to know beyond a peradventure-I won't
trust Gen. Grant-if next May the country
is at such a white heat that Gen. Grant
thinks it economical and prudent to pledge
himself, i don't hope for this pledge; if he
wants 10 see just how much be can cay, or
how little he can say, and get along, /
| won't trust him. Any time during the
last two years ten words from Gen. Grant
would have put Radicalism into the White
House, and the suffrage of the negro into
the constitution ITSELF He is net Radi-
cal He is Conservative and uncertain. |
defy any man with the blood Of anything
but fish TO have resisted the Impulse to
| speak those ten words,