The Republican journal., 1872-06-06
Letter From Boston.
Correspondence OF the journal.
- ,-,,y,- I,,.
THE ANNIVERSARIES

THE ANNIVERSARIES
last week were, on the whole. poorly at
attended. The interest in most of them
has declined year by year, SO that only
! those directly concerned make it n duty
TO be present. Along with this subsidence
OF popular regard, there is also a thinning
out Of the conspicuous talent, clerical and
lay, which once made these anniversaries
so attractive. One only of that famous
coterie who gave to the old anti-slaycrv
society its worldwide reputation. and
| boldly assumed the initiative in a move
ment destined to find fruition only after
the land had been ''rent with civil feudS'
and "drenched in tratrrnal blood" ap-
peared on the roStrum last week. In him
self he was ana i 4 host | mean. of
course. Wendell Phillips. When Phillips
dies, the anniversaries might rs well give
up the ghost. As il recognizing his duty
to keep up the prestige and the excite
ment OF the week, Phillips spoke often and
with all his old VIM Indeed, as An orator
he improves with age. If his mconsis-
lehcleS are even more glazing than of
yore, his invective, in which he has always
eNcelled,i is more terrible Directed against
Il righteous cause, as it often is and the
impact will be heard. if not ielt: directed
against sham, and the imposition Is nd
died through and through. His intense
radlcaiiSnt, however, leads him quite AS
often TO the defence, as T. the demolition
of shamS. In good Sooth he is himself tp
some extent a sham. He can tear down
he cannot rebuild He can find the weak
points and expose them: he never at
tempts 10 strengthen them. He can blast
a reputation with an epigram; he never
seeks to heal the wounds thus inflicted.
The slave Of preiudices, and rs often
wrong in his conclusions As right, he as
sumes mlalIibility on the rnstum Il is
said he has never been known to admit
himself in the wrong, although the victims
OF his injustice dot almost every New
England cemetery. Ga the other hand
am told 10y one intimately acquainted with
HIM, that his secret benetactonS TO those
who seek him ont and who are sufferers
ny some OF the great wrongs against
which he has waged war so long. amount
to thousands of dollars annually. Foreign
erS who have felt The heel Of the desput
on their necks, never appealed TO him in
VAN. Poor people At home, who are the
victims of unjust laws also find in him
something more tangible than mere SYM
pathy. But perhaps nothing is more re-
marAable about this wonderful man than
the federation he receives for utteranreS
which would condemn amy one else To
complete social Punishment, il not To 4
billet in madhouse. For instance. at a
meeting of the prison reloimrrs, and in
the presence OF clergymen and teachers
he denounced our schools rs IA sham. "
and our churches "synagogues of Satan"
Surely he must have some terrible intor-
nation thinks the reader, thus to characters
ize two OF the leading institutions of our
civilization. But the first charge is made
because we have not rot some Kind OF AN
industrial mandatory in connection with
our system OF education, and the second
because Gas he assumcs) the church mem
hers do not spend more time IN iails attend
ing f. the conversion and bodily comfort
OF the prisoners
POLITICAL MATTRESS
Summers terrible philippe against
Grant, although not wholly unexpected.
has fallen with crushing force upon the
heads OF the administration followers here
aboutS For 4 day 81 two they were quite
stunned 10y it. Now having got the ''cue"
from headquarters, they are derlaiming
against what they term its Incorporate
and abusive character. Unable to answer
lis arrangement they have no other re
source but TO attempt to break its force by
rriticisinG its tone and impugning the mo-
tives of lis author. To say that they are
mad clear through gives but Il faint idea
of their feelings. They fairly troth with
rage. What adds to their anger is the
disappointment felt over the final loss OF
sumner They had come to believe that
il he could not be caolcd nor badgercd
into support Of Grant at the eleventh hour.
he would ut least remain quiescent. They
felt sure since the Cincinnati Convention
had WaNcd and waned, and he had made
no sign, that this much was certain Hence
their greater wrath now tlfsehe has plac-
ed i scourge in the hands Of the opposition
with which to lash their idol into the OBJ
security out of which it came. Frank Birds
recent speech ut Walpolc, wherein he IN
nounced himself in perfect accord with the
Democratic party, has also served to com
plicate and set the masses to think
ING. 1t is one Of the signs Of the times
and augurs breaking mp of the organlza-
ton which has ruled Massachusetts, and
not always wisely, for the last eighteen
years An effort is making ON the part of
the Republican leaders, most of whom. by
the way, We're Democrats until TIE war
to secure the labor reform party for Grant
5. L. Cummings, who has some influence
with them, is understood to be willing to
sell out, but it is Il question whether he
has really anything to sell He is sharp |
set ior a trade but the sincere men with |
whom he is allied do not wholly trust him
and are pretty sure to object when it comes
to n question Of votes.
1t looks now very much as though Gen
Butler would undertake to have his re-
venge for last autumn's defeat al the first
opportunity, and with excellent prospect
OF success. DR.. George b. Loring has an