Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-02-19
WILMINGTON, DEL.
Wednesday Afternoon, Feb. Ios
ENGLAND AND IRELAND =. MR. FR0UDE
AND MR. PHILLIPS

capable critic sends us the following, in ref
erence to Wendell Philips lecture, on Monday
evening:
"The lecture Of wendelli Phillips, which was
reported ESQ fully and fairly in Tuesdays COM
MEso1AI was, not in Its style, but in its method,
disappointment to some ardent admirers OF
our unequAlled orator. The title Of 'Froude
versus Civil Liberty was hardly deserved, and
'Froude versus Matters of Fact would more
nearly have represented the tenor of MIR. Phill-
ips' argument. Much time and energy were
expended in proving the discrepancy OF Froude es
statements in regard to thepopulatlon oil Ireland
at different epochs I; much fine sarcasm used to
al his severe criticisms upon the Irish charac-
al; while the real question at issue remained
almost untouched. Meanwhile, the orators
own sweeping statements were no more but
tressed by facts than those he so severe
ly reviewed and rebuked. Mr.. Froude, in his
statement that Cromwells troops defeated an
army of 100000 men. at least followed the ae-
counts of contemporary chroniciers. Wendell
Phillips declaring that there we're, in fact, only
thirty thousand men in the field, gives us no au-
thority Whatever for his reasonable guess. his
bitter and sweeping criticisms upon Enghsh
character es masse, his assertion that Gladstone
did all for policy, nothing for principle, that
Canning learned his wisdom at the feet OF Danlel
OConnel-that Ireland has, in the last hVe CEN
tureies, given birth TO more than her proper
tionate number of poets, orators and statesmen,
compared to England-these are statements at
least as unsupported, and at least as tinctured
by prejudice, as those for which he justly re-
Dukes the English historian.
"But granting all that is asserted on the one
side or the other, granting that the national
characters of Englishmen.or of Irishmen are
more or less exalted or depraved, brave or
coware'y, either question of fact can have lit
tie to do with the broad principles of Civil Liz
erty. That no nation, whatever be its moral
or intellectual status, can justly be held in per-
petual tutelage and bondage by an alien govern
ment that, whether religion be true or false,
its believers should enjoy it in unfettered lber-
ty; that the right of self-government is as aa-
cred to the lowest as to the highest these are
the grand principles whose calculation was ex-
pected of Wendell Phillips. And to these, We
regret to say, he gave no place."
Remarks By he Commercial.
Undoubtedly, Mr.. Phillips failed to make
and we think he did not attempt, any elaborate
thorough, or exhaustive argument on the "Ques-
tion." Indeed, that is not his style. He does
not profess to anayze a controversy but to pierce
it his plan is not so much that of thorough
discussion as of illumination. He therefore re-
buts Mr.. Froude on q number of points, and
means to demonstrate by them the proposition
with which he sets out - namely, that Mr.
Froude, being in the logical dilemma Of need
ing to prove the Irish devils" (otherwisC
the English would be fools,) brings up un
founded and inconsistent testimony. 1t may bI
said that Mr.. Phillips by no means states all the
case, and of course be does not profess to ; he
is simply unhorsing the imprudent champion oi
the English idea, and thus clearing the lists 70
fair tournay. We confess our belief tina
whether all he says of Englishmen is just, o
not, he gives the London historian an ugly tum
ble,snd opens the way for Irish defenders to ge
a agood position and make bold fight.