The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-02
"WHAT WE ASA OF CONGRESS-.
Lecture Of Wendell Phillips Before the
Parker Fraternity Of Boston.

Lecture OF wendell phillips Before the
Parker Fraternity Of Boston.
LADIES AND GgNTLEMEN-I am 10 speak to you to
night on "What We would ask OF Congress-" AL
Old Engishman, discussing capital punishment and
the reform OF penal legislation, says 1.-The subject
Is both grim and weighty" ] am AFRAID that for q
lyceum lecture that winch offer you tonight may
be grilnly weighty. But at any rate there Is SO
great variety night after night IN all the courses
presented to you tnat once, perhaps In o While
times are grim, and we must take our text
you will be content 70 have grim lecture. The
cism to make tonight on the Administrations not that
! do not Dlame 1t, as q unity, for very large and
grave neglect; not that do not see distinctly the
cause OF It's weakness as an administration. Our
President made his administration with the excep-
ton OF one great name-tnat OF the Treasurer, Gov
ernor BoutWell-the earliest and most far-Sglted or
all mis- comrades, VINO saw the danger. and scrutin-
iZed the Clements which were producing II, ten
years at least before most Of his comrades La the
republican party OWNED 1t. The administration
represents section, and weak section-an I'M
thinking, an unwilling, reluctant sectlon-of the
republican party Congress Is evidently the active
element OF our government for the next four
years. What / demand OF Congress Is that 1t
should assume the government, winch the Executive
aDdicated that 1t take up the rens Of civil gov
erament ana put hand on to tue helm OF the yes
sci OF State that 1t should not be allowed to drift
without policy, eravitate without any directing
mind. What ask Of Congress, therefore, Is the IN
gradients that shall harvest the results OF the
l want the elements winch Will enable the fiation
to get all the blood ana treasure as fairly earned
NOW 1t seems 10 that the one great idea symbol.
izea In tae war; against which the South protested,
and the wings Of which the North was borne
up, was nationality, not partnership but nation,
not o group OF states but u Stale. No element OF
race VIII ever make US nation. No technically
anu popularity OF territory Will make US q nation
We lie all around loose. Hitherto we have been
only herd 81 s.stes hunting for our food IN com
pany. We never had an yea, nor an assertion, and
6uf history Mas one like the ureap OF the morning.
There never was nation that, having had one revO-
luton, ended with that No great sectional sore
ness was ever trampled out by the victories OF
single campaign. We have learned only one thing
hy fup WA mi TOR
s that great, snrewd, persistent bulldog element
at the SCUM hates the unlon Now the question is,
how Is II to be appeaSed, to be concliated to be
smothered il 1t cannot be conciiated Sir, In my
the war has just begun. We have fought the first
sklrnlsh. Inc state OF society is never annihllaed
until 1t Is replaced You do not annihilate social
system when you decree It's death. You only amt
hilate 1t when you ill Its place with another.
WHAT Is to be zone with the reluctant section pre-
vlously alluded to Is TO replace It, not annlhilate 1t;
ana what are to ask OF Congress Is the measures
that shall replace supefsede. iii up, crowd out ,he
elements wncn OccasiOned the war. II we expect
any nationality, II we want anything that shall
make q nation extending from ocean to ocean
believe In puolic opinion so vlgant and so exact
Ing that from the gates OF the Gulf to the Atlantic
and the Pacific we VIII have one nag and one law.
look TO popular education 80 advanced that
under that one ana that Impartial law all creeds
and all tongues ana all races shall be gathered with
an equal protection. But In order TO do that we
must use our time to-day; not that the experiment
will fan In the end, in that future, one may
prophesy anything, think see II either through
the forty years OF the wilderness, or see 1t In
nearer views see 1t after the revolutions OF l7l5 and
iIa5 and 1885, as IN England, after perpetual convul
sions as IN France; or see IL In moment by the
craftsmanship ana wisdom AID determined purpose
OF the people, What believe Is that II three years
aro this people had had leader; II we mad had
President, not representatives; II we had sully, or
Cromwell, or Walpoie even, or Chatham, ti We would
ness Of our own, and been to-day one people, with
the same element Of civilization from Canada down
to the Gulf. | look upon IL In this light. When
our fathers started the constitution they only had
one view. They thought that they took In
broad outlook. But very Few take IN
broad outlook, and 1t is very rarely that You
find those men in the confidence OF his race,
or in the stations Of power. Our fathers were
bounded into the Union by pecunary Difficulties;
could not raise Its taxes; our money (paper) was
worth nothing; our credit was gone. If you look IN
the constitution OF the United States you Will be
surprised to ind an immense preponderaace OF pro-
Visions that relate to the financial provinces OF gov
eminent. 1t was mercantile partnership, not
nation. that our fathers founded. You VIII be sur
prised to learn that this nation was Yankee peder
Tor forty years. They forgot one great thing In
framing the constitution. Lney iorgot that social
poured into the veins OF tae national government
gave that strength. They nurtured their own enemy
aud thence came the revolution OF 1911. All
the subsidiary powers OF government were left in the
loosest possible condition. The only thing guarded
was the bank vault OF the country. Outside or our
financial and mercantile arrangements the Union Is
all incomplete. Our fathers never finished their
work. The fourteenth amendment Is the first attempt
even to define citizen OF the United States. In 1855
the United States government had never defined
Its own basis-its citizens. Nobody could tell, au.
thoritatively, who was the substratum on which
fore we made our own moor, and to-day-st
more aDsurdy-tGere Is not any recognized
power OF this government TO protect ia own
citizens. What can we 40 to facilitate TO secure
an impartial election OF President representa-
tive the question which arises. and tue answer Is
we can do nothing. We nave no rights. We cannot
touch the very elements out OF wbcn our own gov.
eminent IL created. Our fathers trusted to the har.
monlous cooperation Of the States. They left the
Hmm fasaa m TIA n "a DIR
the rebellion broke out fortunately, our government
had one power-war Our fathers had secured to IL
the militia and the purse and they are all IL left.
WHAT want to get now Is footing. The first thing
ask OF Congress is that II snail complete the con.
structlon OF government. do not ask this on the
ground OF o temporary measure on report from
Texas OF so many murders, report from MISSISSIPPI
OF so much turbuiance. | ask &c on this grouDd-l
undertake 10 say THAT now is the time % complete
the machine winch our fathers left incomplete. VIZ
have abolished slavery-one Of their omissions; WI
have defined cttizensnipanother OF their omissions
Now we want TO protect citizenship. NY claim o.
Congress Is nOw before the helm passes out OF the
hands OF the conquering idea, that we should, Ike
statesmen, undertake to complete this portion o
the machine committed 10 our care; that we should
not allow future difficulty To come across oui
path and we not be able to reach INTO the state
and remedy II. government Is without
basis that cannot reacn down and protec
Its own citizens IN doing duty which 1t calls upoi
them 10 perform. II you need an amendment u
the constitution, make 1t; but l do not Deliev'
II. The fourteenth amendment covers 1t. II Deces
sary, plant squad OF soldiers In every voting dis
riSt III VIC staea put ict Inc nag oi tls
Union protect It's own citizens wherever II noats
Announce the principle that whenever State ne
elects duty, whenever forty househoIders In AMI
district call upon the Union 10 protect It's own Dao
box that 1t shall be the duty or the President OF th
United states TO send a company or regiment int
that section and see that the polls are Kept peace
fully open. know IL may be duty never called fo
in many states know that the very existence OF
right may preclude the need OF using 1t. know tina
1t looks towards despotsm, but better despotsm thar
anarchy. Wbet want Is government 80 broad, ~
impartial, so founded on an average OF national In
terests that no local prejudice, no local maIignity
no local wealth. can hold up It's hand against tue
Then there 10 another element, What made the re