The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-12-04


Gel Lecture By wendell Phiiiips.
wendell Phillips lectured In Music Hall,
Bostoa on Thursda, evening, In the Parker
Presently esurse. upoa ths demands OF the
ceantiy upon oongrsss. rher was vosy
Logo audIsece present. Theodore Tiltou,
Hon. Josish ouincy anA Others occupied
seats upon the plstforn. ffhe following IL
an abstract Of Mr.. Phillipp remarks
In announcing his subject the speaker said
that the times are grim. We are subdued to
what We work In, and must take our text
from the circumstances about us. / have
no criticism to make to night on the admin
istration; not that do not blame for very
large and grave neglect; not that do not
see distinctly the cause of Its weakness ~
an administration. With the exception Of
one great name, that OF the Treasurer, Gov
ernor Boutwell,, Applause, the earliest and
the most far-sighted Of all his comrades to
see the danger and scrutinize the elements
which were producing it-wlth his exception
the administration represents . section, and
q weak section, an uuthinkiug, an unwil-
ling, q reluctant section Of the Republican
party. 1t ia no wonder, therefore, that Its
work has been hating.
Neither have I anything to sAy Of the
President. The born monarch that falls b.
low his station disgraces only himself; but
the elected chief who falls below bis station |
disgraces his constituents; and II there u |
any defect In the civil ability Of our great |
chief. the fault rests on the hesdlsssness and |
hero worship Of millions, not on hin. On |
the contrary, he 10 TO DO viewed - another
step on the part Of the great American er-
pertinent towards Its English model. The
war made vast stride from the original
idea Of the fathers-a President with an
Idea, and II has almost landed US on the
English model-a President, merely figure
head to mean something and do nothing, to
rest the passive symbol In the hands OF the
legislative power; for the tendency Of all
modern constitutional government 10 70 the
depreciation of the executive and the en-
largement Of the Legislative; and ! have no
Hesitation, AFTER tho experience OF the last
| eight years, In infinitely preferring the Eng
lish model, which gives the English system
. Prime Minister, removable BY vote, and
not President under whom We are 10 suffer
for four long weary years.
In this view We must turn attention for the
present TO Congress, as representing not only
the most efficient, but inevitably the most
active, element Of our Government for the
next four years. That IL the reason why
ask to-day what shall Congress do, demand
Ing Of II, rs would, that 1t should assume
the Government which the Executive has
abdicated. What I ask Of Congress 10 the
ingredients that shall harvest the results Of
the war. want the elcments which will
enable the nation to get all that its blood
and treasure have fairly earned. Now, II
seems to me that the one great idea against
which the South protested, and on the wings
Of which the North was borne, was that Of
nationality; not a partnership, but Q nation;
not group of States, but a Stats. Hitherto
we have only been herd of States, hunting
for our food 10 company. We never had an
Idea nor an association, and our history vas
only like the dream Of the morninE-one
| great, but terrible struggle. The last has
welded us rs far as one thing can. But In
This .trugpIe for Nationality where Ia our
cement Men Imagine because We hays zone
through one war under one aag, tho problem
/. settled, There never was 4 nation that,
having had one revolution. ended with that.
No great sectional sorenes.' was aver
tramtIed ont by tho victories Of A single
esmp.ign,
The war of seyen years bas shown M what
| |. the mater with ma And that ia that =
great. ,brewd. and persisteut bulldog els-
ment AT Tho south bates the Union. Nov
III. oueston 4, how Il il "a be appsased. how
ia IL 10 be eonclliated. how ia il 10 b smoth.
ersd II il cannot he conciliatedi wall. aome
men imayire ,b,t ,he war IA sndsd In nv
view the war i, mat begnn. The surrender
Of Lee in ,65 was no more an end 10 tbis
epocb than the Surrender Of Corn vallis was
an and 10 The epoch Of the Rayolutiop. The
question whether America would DO repub-
Ilcan was never settled till Jefferson leaped
into the saddle In 1901. and the memsnt be
vas SEATED heran tbe movemsnt Of tbo,e
elemen MT. which made the revolution of Is8I.
| A .t.t. ~ societv ia never annihIlatad untiI
II /. renl.eed. You dont snnibil.te 4 socI.l
s,stem when Won decree ia death. WHAT IL
N he done with that reIuct.nt section IL 70
rsnIac, IL, and vba, We arc IN asL ~ Con-
gress is measures that shall replace, super
s.ds- an mn. crowd out the elements which
occ.sion ed the war, I believe in a public
oninion a. yioi,,nt and .n eYact,ng th.t
aud ono law. look to q popular ed nc tioS
so advanced that under that, with an imnsr.
tial law, all creeds and ali tonrue, and ali
races shall be gathered with an eouai pro.
lection, In order TO accomplish that ne mr.,
use our time to day.
Now look upon Il In this light; Wben
| our lathers .tarted The Con.titntion ,ha, ~
only one view. They wanted a Goy.Tnment
that could pay. The nation was n YsnIss
peddler for forty years. And the lesson 10.
day Is that we are to DO as wise az our fntb-
en, and meet this difficulty az they met
theirs. What we want to-day Ia Ham,I-
ton that can make a nation, not a partner.
ship. For instance, we len all The sub. |
sldiary powers 10 the loosest possible con- |
| dition. The only thing We guarded vss the |
| bank. The speaker here showed tho dlsas-
trous effect which would have followed the |
death Of Abraham Lincoln II Il had occurred |
before he took his seat, q possibility now |
provided for. The Union 10 all incomplete.
The l4th amendment 10 the first attempt |
even to define the citizenship Of the United |
States. Nobody could tell authortatiyely |
| what was the substratum on which the |
Government rested till 1867. And TO-DAY.
still more absurdly, there Is not apy recog.
nized power OF this Government 10 pro .ect
Its own citizens. To-day In Texas any man |
| who goes TO the polls goes there at the risk |
OF his life. II you will look month hence
into the dolngs OF the South Carolina Leeis.
ture you will dnd there a lsngthy report Of
seven hundred pages, showing between
| l,5OO and LOO murders which have been |
committed within that very State to prevent
access To the polls. There 10 no redress At
Washington, and We cannot teach the very
elements out Of which our own Government
10 created.
What ask Of Congress Is, that It shall
first complete the structure OF the Govern
ment. We have abolished slavery, we have
defined citizenship; now We want to protect
citizenship. before the hahn naaaea an, ~ |