The Wichita city eagle., 1875-02-25
Col. PHILIPPE.


Col. Phillips
We have extracted from the Con-
qressionai L;ccord the remarks made
bv Col. Phillips during the late fight
In the House at Washington, over the
"Civil Rights Bill.- Mr.. Phillips in
,iis, as Ia all other Of his acts having
n public character in the history Of
ih. slate pf which he is part, has
shown the same consistent friend Of
freedom and Humanity. He is now
gaining the good will of this people
more rapid, taan any public niau tha,
ha- eyrr represented them in the ma
tianal assembly. As he stood among
the champious of freedom who press
e., their faces 10 the foe, in the dark
aud irving hours of our bloody bor-
der struggle. aud on many well
fought field of The rebellion. SO to-day
j. his spiri, at work, his voice ringing
in defense of the principles that have
ever been as dear TO him as life itself
liberty. civil rights and equal Justice
10 all mankind Mr.. Phillips said:
haze been surprised at the position
taken bv the gentleneu on the other
SID. oi thi. Chamber. have moi been
surprised az the opposi;ion 10 their
own platform or at the objection they
raised the other night to The reading
of part OF their platform 10y the gen.
tleman from Indiana. Mr.. Slianks.]
that part of the platform having been
intended io catch negro votes. That
part of their platform they did not be-
ieve in: we did not believe ia it; no.
body believed ia IT.
But there was one thing which sur
prisad me. have been taught for
forty wear, that the democratic party.
or that part of il which STYLES itself
the chiva!ry. had high sense of hon
or aud always met lis olillgstinns: that
they held Ia the idea that whei. truth
was bahished from the bosOuns of all
m-n il Should still bc fouad in the
bo>oais oi princes. Now. when the
war closed there was nu obligation left
n hiniiue ~ though il had been forced
at Appomattox. What wasit!
Whcn the war closed, war unpar-
alleird in airociiy; war in which
several handred thousand men gave
their liyes-when that war. beginning
ia ireachery. sustained hy robbery OF
the United States mints and arsenals,
marked by the atrocities of Anderson
willie, aud ending with the assassina-
tion of the president of the United
Staics-when that war closed by an
aci OF magnanimiiy unparalleled in
history. we rendered TO those men free
forgiveness at the hands of the gov
efilinclt. Aud Tor what! That these
degraded people. these enslaved peo-
pie should come back as an enfran-
cliiscd people. with all the powers ot
government. with every right of citi-
zenship of the United States. with all
their civil rights as equals in this great
republic Aud those men. MIR. Speak
er. come bact; upon this floor with the
power gained by such understanding,
come back here TO deny those rights
for which they gained their own. and
TO deny their part of the agreement,
ana seek To make "a degraded class in
our country.
This is the great question before us,
the question whether we can afford in
these southern states TO have "A de-
graded people. That is the question,
whether we can have class TO look
down upon: whether we eau have. not
slavery. but degraded class of poor,
unprotected, ignorant people.
Why, SIR, these gentlemen forget the
position in which we now find our
selves. that we have been elevating
four millions of people from cOndi-
a "A "a
who is interested in the elevation of
that race but must feel that we should
stand by them TO elevate and to help
them. so far. with their opportuni-
ties. they have done nobiy aud well.
And appeal 10 those gentlemen who
come here in consequence of the for
givcness extended TO them at the close
of the great war. the great war which
was great crime. and ask them to
help us and To help them in the work
OF raising these people to the dignity
of American citizenship. instead of
denying the rights TO which they owe
their own privileges.
AS regards the matter of schools,
there is this practical question: In
man; school districts three or four or
ten coaorcd people. If YOU close the
public schools against them, you say
in effect that their children shall have
no education. | say the republican
party cannot afford To have them kept
in that condition. say YOU must di-
vest Yourself of prejudice and rise to
the dignity of the occasion, feeling
that the republican party has been es-
pecially honored by one thing ia its
past history, that il has been honorcd
ia being the handmalden OF God Al
mighty in producing the fruits of this
great revolution and this elevation of
the colorcd race. Aud it these gentle
mcn will persist IN cudcavoring To SOW
dissen-ions between the races. if they
succeed in proaacing dissemsions
which must produce bloodshed and
commotion and ruin, warn them as
they were warned before that while
they appeal 10 the basest aud lowest
passions of the human heart TO make
party, they are in the future as IN the
past doomed To learn that the Lord
(,p1 Duuinotpul rpipncth