The Wichita city eagle., 1879-07-03
WENDELL PHILLIPS.

From the speech Of Wendell Phillips
at fremont Temple, Boston, Massachu
setts, June 25th:
Is the Mississippi public highway ,ol
have the southern planters a right to
put fence across it? Are the negroes
free! Was there ever rebellion! Did
Lee really drive Grant out of Virginia
and was ii Jefferson Davis who pardon.
ed Abraham Lincoln? What is the
meaning of that pile of granite on the
Common! Did the folks it cOmmemo.
rates concedc in settling any thing? OF
do their graves only mark the halfway
house between something and nowhere
These are questions thoughtful men
ask themselves to-day. The father
whose son was starved to death at An
dersonvilie or lies "buried with his mig
gers on some southern battle field
sadly asks, Did that death gain any
thing?
What hypocrisy year by year to deco
rate graves, if we make no effort ia
keep what that precious blood bought
In constitutional governments, when a
flagrant abuse exists, or great wrong is
done 10 masses of citizens, parliaments
and legislatures appoint committees to
find the facts. Has the great historic
party, which binds the emancipation
statute on its brow as its proudest
plume, taken any pains to see what is
done or suffered in this emergency?
1t traverses land and sea. unearths
witnesses and tclegrams to carry any
State election, violates the privacy of
letters and honorable confidence, lavish
es months and millions for any petty
and party purpose-where now is this
seif-stylcd guardian of freedom and
justice! Has it pccpcd or muttered
Has any victim felt its help? Clouds of
committees of investigation darkcn the
air. Ten thousand helpless and wrong
ed men crying for protection and jus
tee has seen their claim cunningly cvad-
ed, while cotton brokers only can get a
hearing. Let 4 quartcrnaster' accounts
balance the wrong way, or a twice per-
jured politician swear he saw false vOt-
ing, and instantly five congressman will
search the Rocky Mountains or New
Orleans slums with candles for frag-
mcnts of worthless evidence. Let Il
thousand employers break contract with
the negro and drive him. starved into
exile, convtlsing the social economy of
States and instantly there are twenty
reasons why you won't believe il, and
forty more why if it is true, there must
be no noise made about it. Northern
Journals used to be bought by the prom
ise of mess of pOttage-which they
seldom got. Now Kick or sncer
seems enough to keep them in the
traces.
Are the number of the fugitives in
significant! Why then do planters grow
pale and boards of trade protest, and
angry men rush together III noisy con-
ventions! Only fifty or a hundred Idle
and dissolutc negroes, such as we are
glad TO be rid of! Why. then, do boat
captains refuse to take their money and
carry them of!
No: we have been told thousand
times, and il is emphatically true, that
il takes an earthquake TO tear the negro
from his home. What wretchedness
did he patiently endure in millions of
cases rather than leave his birthplace! !!
Don't babble OF good treatment and
bales of cotton. and wide breadth Of
theory don't explain
the facts. Why does the negro fly, and
what does he brave such suffering and
loss to escape from thousands of men
don't sacrsiice their property and endure
piteous suffering, discomfort and dis
ease 10 get away from happiness. Get
up, gentlemen. some other explanation !;
this is not plaUsible--the poor he cracks
and goes TO pieces when stretched to
cover the terrible fact.