New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-29
"The Last PhflIippfc.''

The New York Tribune, alias Mr.. Horace
Greeley, has always manifested particular
malice against Wendell Phillips. and this is
by no means surprising, for Wendell Phillips
is in every feauture the exact opposite of Mr..
Greeley. One of the purest and most un-
selfish men that ever arose in this country,
his whole life, his rare talents, have been
devoted to a cause whose advocacy until a
few years ago was not only sufficient to
make man odious to the majority of his
countrymen, but was really fraught with per-
sonal danger. Faithful to conviction and
upon by the masses as fanatic, he would
rather have given his life than make the
smallest concession, and though endowed
with gifts that would have entitled him to
aspire for the highest Offices in the Republic,
he could never be tempted to serve Gov
eminent that recognized and upheld slavery.
A man of such stern virtue must necessarily
be silent reproach as we'll as standing
offense to Mr.. Greeley, who was always a
time-serving man, a chronic office-hunter, one
time aspiring for the Senate-another for a
Governorship, always ready to sacrifice every
thing to expediency, and disclaiming in the
evening what he had said in the morning !;
and it is by no means surprising that he
should attempt to pull Wendell Phillips down
to his own level. Nothing more ludicrous
and grotesque, however, has been Matched
out yet, even in the Tribune Office, than the
article headed, "The Last Philippe" in the
Tribune of August II, in which that bundle
of self contradiction arraigns Wendell Phil
lips for inconsistency on the occasion of Mr..
Phillips letter to the colored voters, one of
the most powerful, convincing, and lucid
documents yet called forth by the present
contest. For this alleged inconsistency the
Tribune has no better evidence than the fact
that Mr.. Phillips four years ago opposed
General Grants election, while he is now
advocating it, a charge that would be mani
testify hollow, no matter by whom it might
be made, but is truly suicidal, because invit-
ing comparison when coming from the mouth
piece of the man who has been turning round
with every breeze until he is presently lying
at anchor in the Democratic swamp. Four
years ago, Mr.. Phillips, as well as many
other Radical Abolitionists, very naturally
felt apprehensive lest General Grant, the
converted Democrat, whose fidelity to the
Republican cause had not been tried yet,
would not prove as faithful and energetic a
protector of the blacks and of their rights as
was needed to consolidate and secure all the
results of the war. just in this respect,
however, he has by far surpassed all that was
expected of him; he has, as Mr.. Phillips
points it out in his admirable letter, become
the very representative of their cause, of the
cause of equality, liberty, justice, just as Mr..
Lincoln was its representative during the
war, and though Mr.. Phillips objects to
some Of his administrative acts-as he OBJ
jected to many of Mr.. Lincoln's-he, like all
true and Radical Republicans, with the sim
gle exception of Charles Sumner, consistently
supports him against the same old enemy,
who is not less malignant and dangerous than
formerly, though feigning to be OVERLOOKING
with brotherly and kind feelings.
= In the course of its savage attack, the
Tribune assumes to interpret Wendell Phil
lips feelings in saying that in his heart he
despises General Grant. This is rather ar
rogant, but the height of absurd assumption
it reaches in the following line, where we
read: "He hastens to pour out his venom on
the man whom he secretly honors and en-
vies; honors as one man of genius must
honor another, envies as a man of sterile and
bitter nature must envy faithful, (?) benef-
cent, (?) and popular (?) career"
This is news indeed. Wendell Phillips, I
who, without ever caring for popularity, yet