The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1869-07-16
Wendell Phillips on the Pacific
Raii-Road.
From the Anti.slaYnry standart

From the Anti-Slarcry Standard.
All hail and farewell to the Pacific
Railroad. The telegraph tells us that
the Indians have begun to tear mp the
rails, to shoot the passengers and con-
ductors on the road. We see great good
in this. At last the poor victim has
found the vulnerable spot in his tyrant.
"Ihank God, America has resisted :"
cried Lord Chatham. Our feeling is
the same. For seventy years or moro
the Indian has begged this great nation
TO attend to his wrongs. His cries have
been unhcGrd. Ruthless and unhecd-
ing, we have tramrled him down. To
day the worm turns and stings us.
Last year Indians destroyed locomo-
tive, and SHOT conductors. Timid Du-
ram forbade The .clegraph wires TO lc-
port the fact lie tro.nbcd for his road.
To-day i.rcHn ihvH-qnd warriors on the
wqr-path-a thousand mile: Of exposed
load-this railway, The pet p,aything of
the American people. Would our
words could reach every Indian chief |!
We would toll him. lay down your gun.
but allow no rail to lie between Omaha
ana the mountains. "The accursod
code" is OConncll's best weapon. said
Shell. The Pacific Railway is the In
diln's Alabama. Every blow strucl; OH
those rails is heard round the globe
Haunt that road with such dangers that
none viii dare use it.
Some men may think Us rcedcssly
aggressive. No. Citizenship, they may
say, would be q better remedy. Yes
by and by. At present, citizenship means
| l,t cI
hotrAy the Iadian 10 such protection as
" citizenship gives TO the Georgia ne.
gro and loyaist. No. we are thankful
the indian has one defense that the ne.
gro never had. He is no citizen and
has Che right 10 make war. Well may
he use that last right, and never yield it
/ till citizenship means more than il
| does now.
An oboIiiionist may we'll glory in
these red men. When, in lSCj. General
Sanborn carried to the SCminOles the
news of emancipation, they instantly
set their slaves free. But, more Just
than VIC, they proceeded at once 10 di-
vide ,hcir possessions with thc,n fairly
shared with them their pension mo.
ncy. and last winter, in Washington
d
( teacher Gs th"sc Cfnancipatod men would
prefer. When, two or three years ago
Shcrman's commission met the Indians
;hc NayOiocs refused to come into con.
ference unless their women could be
admitted on equal terms with them
selves TO share the debate. Could these
men be persuaded to undertake tor a
few years TO come, the task of recon
,trurion, what 4 saving o. time. What
. saving # honor!
/ Earnestly DO we wish that this nation
could rise 10 the level OF once doing an
act OF Justice from pure and simple mo-
lives OF honesty and duty. But it does
not seem rs il this level would ever be
reached in our day. In default Of that
we rejoice to see the nation scourgCd tC
/ its duty. Long and weary were the
/ years OF blood and misfortune that final
/ ly broke us into willingness 80 pmanci
pate the black. May our stubbornncs
yield sooner and easier in this mn tier o
the Indians. 1t seems probable. BY tht
time Congress assemblies again, W.
think its members will be ready-a
they never have bCGn--to listen on thi
topic. The sad and pondrrous docu
mentS stored in the Capitol will at lcaS
be read, and we shall learn that nation
by its own confession always in tn
wrong. must seek some other path ou
of lis troubles than by sending butcher
TO waste treasure and blood in the val
effort TO eXtorminatc' a braver rae
than ours. We spent a hundred million
really TO "eXtcrminnte and remove
the ScmirolCs from Florida. But ther
are everglades in Florida to-day wher
10 white man enters, and which tn
Seminolcs still hold. II this be tn
case in Florida with thousand Semi
nolos, how likely are we TO "oyterrni
nate" twenty thousand such, spread owe
the bounlle,s West? sherman is bal
tcr;ng the glOries Of Atlanta for defea
utter and shameful and well-deservet
on the prairies.
WENDELL PHILLIPS.
! bmrDipPDntg