New Orleans Republican., 1875-10-14
Wendell Phillips on Prohibition.

Wendell Phillips made a speech at the
late prohibition convention in Boston. Much
interest attaches to all he says, no matter
what view he takes, on any topic. The
speech of which he delivered himself on
that occasion is reproduced:
Mr.. Wendell Phillips began by saying:
The older grow the deeper l am impressed
with the importance OF the temperance
movement in civil affairs in the republic. /
grow more and mure profoundly convinced
every dsy that live that this movement
holds in its hands the possibility OF the sue
| cess of republican instit 1tions. l believe
that Europe is able, to-day, faithfully, to
| assert than in the government of great
masses of men, go far as We have tIied the
experiment, republican institutions are
| failure, whetheR it seems sad to us or not at
| the close of the first century of republican
| life. l believe that. take the state of any
of our great cities, every student Of Amer
| ican affairs is obliged to confess
| that instead of being ruled by tie
principles, by the common sense, by
| the deliberate opinion of the majority, We
are ruled on the one side by wealthy, on
the other side by criminal classes. and in
| this comparison New York snd New Or
| leans can IL Ut bear the tast q moment by the
| side of Paris and London. / have been ac-
| customed to say from this platform, for the
lasC HlueeH years, tDat III was not l'oHt;cal
| causes or political party that elected the
mayor or alderman OF the city of Boston,
| and commend every man that hears HE to
| consider the practice Of the last twenty five
| years, and see if he can uIuthfuliy deny
| that, however respectable in private lie So
cial position, and general purposes the mayor
and aldermen of the city of Boston have
been, they have not practically been
standing committee appointed by the grog
shops of the Peninsula. To-day, if State
street, representing the wealth, and Beacon
| street, representing the fashion. and Har-
ward College, representing education, should
try to elect mayor of Boston, aud it should
| be resolved that he was obliged to execute
! even the present laws of the State they
would be defeated. The rum interest of
Boston-so strong, so numerous, SO we'll or
! ganized as it is-could easily defeat the
| great dominant interests of society. They
have done it. believe, therefore, that in
the success of the prohibitOry movement
resides all the ultimate success and triumph
| of the republican experiment.
Mr.. Phillips claimed that there had been
| 10 argument against prohibition, and
| further, that if out of the Republican party
| from 1860 to 1870 had been taken the good
sense, the just principles, the civil earnest.
| ness OF the temperance element that was
massed within it, the Republican party
| would have been defeated in this common
|
with SO strong an element, the nucleus of
the Republican movement, pledged, you
| may say, to this side, and these convictions,
the Republican party has never vet done
| temperance wcIk in one whole year
| Never given us the Legislature or execu-
tive chair, whole-souled, thorough assist
| ance. One reason Why ! came here this
afternoon, continued Mr.. Phillips, is because
think We stand at the division OF two great
| eras. The talk of a Democratic party, a
Republican party, is beginning to cease.
| They will both break up before two years
are past. They have both of them survived
the purpose that called them into being.
| They are neither of then, willing to look in
the face the great national issues that
stand at the door. The elements that
make up each are being separated from
| each other. You will not live two years
before you will see, no matter whether these
names be preserved or not, an entirely new
arrangement of the political forces Of this
| Star3 and every other State. Now, it is
| exceedingly important in that transition
moment that the temperance men of the
Commonwealth should teach the pulti-
Clans how large is their influences and
power. 1t is OF the utmost consequence
| at the nome mt when new tests are going up
| and down the political highways marking
| out the strength on which they may rely in
| the coming struggle, it is exceedingly i'm
| portant that the temperance men Of the
| commonwealth should stand up and be
counted. For oace, don't care how in.
| portant are any State issues to day, the
most important thing that the temperance
man can do this year is to tud some plot of
ground on which he can stand with every
other temperance man in the State, until
the political leaders have counted him. ]
don't care how it ia done. It ia no matter
how it is done if it can only bs accom-
plished. IT, in the summing up, the count
ers, in times TO come, reckoning up the pu-
litical strength which iS ahead are able to
say, Put down the stern uncsmpromising
Prohibitionists at 45,OOO, your victory is