The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-07-03
Wendell Phillips.
He Delivers A Brilliant and ELOQUENT
Speech at Boston Upon
the Money Question.
ImplOring the White Slaves to Free
Themselves from the Bon
dage OF the Money
Power.

Thursday evening, the name of Wendell
Phillips was received with tremendous ap-
plause, and as he stepped to the front of
the platform the entire audience rose and
cheered loudly. He expressed his thanks
for the welcome but it debarred him from
saluting them as the had intended-Slaves
Of State street. (Great applause and laugh
ter.) There was no dispute, no man deni-
cd the commercial depression, the mercan-
tile disaster, the pecuniary fright of the
present moment. Everywhere were disas-
ter and ruin, explain it as one pleased
such was the fact. Some men said it was
the result of the war. France had Just
been conquered and ground under the
heel of victorious Germany but there ev-
cry spindle was hot with activity, every
dollar WAS busy with trade, every pct was
boiling. Cross the Rhine and the
American felt at home, for Germany was
bankrupt (Laughtsr.) She was the victo-
rious country, had one metal and was bank
rupt. (Applauss.) Where, then was the
argument? Against the prosperity Of
France the speaker contrasted the condi.
tion Of England, Germany and the United
States. In these three countries there was
the utmost diversity of circumstances, but
one thing they had in common-they were
crazy to plant their entire commercial fab
ric on gold (Applause.) and they were
reaping the result; while in France there
unbounded prosperity, because the French
man, with eminant sagacity, had held on
to his paper ill it had foated him into
SUCCESS. (Great applause.) Where did q
nation go when il was at deaths door?
Where did France 60 when Bismark's heel
was planted on her very heart? Paper!
Where did England 60 when Nspoleon
had subjugated the continent, and on that
island rested the hopes Of the freedom OF
the world? Paperl (Great applause. }
Where did the northern states 60 when
u, nations life remained an equal balance?
Paper! (Great applause.) And with it
carried the flag down the gulf, and wrote
liberty on its folds. (Applause.) He need
ed more proof than had ever been offered
him before he believed that the medici ne
to which the sickest man always had ref
uge; and which always set him on his feet
again, was a poison. (Applause.) If the
flag was to be assailed tomorrow by for
eign pow er, the hard money men Of Wall
street and State street would 20 to paper.
Government was dangerous nuisance.
II onlv existed because men were imperfect
and could not trust themselves with each
other. 1t was a necessary evil, like phys
icians and surgeons. Men said they did
not like to trust the government with the
regulation of the currency. The power
must rest somewhere, however, and the
man who believes forty bank kings were .
safer depository Of this power than forty
millions of people, had right to his opin-
ion, but he ought to have been born before
1776 and ON the other eide of the water
(Applause) The speaker charged that
the greed of northern capitalists was de-
feating the reconstruction of the southern
states by not giving them fair chance,
but. on the contrary, doubling their debts
and reducing ons-half heir ability to pay
them. The north had inflicted a heavier
burden on the north than the sword of Gen.
Grant. The sword of Grant was the weight
of little finger; the money power of the
north imposed the. whole weight of its
oins.
Mr.. Phillips paid bis complaints TO the
Hon. Hugh Mccullough in the following
language: McCulloch, the great king of
gold, the man who led the nation to the
very edge of bankruptcy, on whose con-
science, to day the guilt of having misled
q great people, of having used his office
across the ocean to pile up millions-which
thank God, he loss-(Applause.) says to
the students at Harvard in his recent leo
ture: ~ was mistaken; / had not maturely
considered the subject; had not investi.
gated il enough. Bimetalism, silver and
gold, is the only salvation" Then they
make him professor of political economy.
(Laughter) With the wrecks Of nation
|. around him, with bankruptcy stalking
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with the
grandest experiment, bought at the great
est cost that nation ever paid. In four
teen states hurrying on q healthy and
wholesome finance for his success, he stab
bed it, and then, with ruin spread around
him, he comes to cay "My life has been
one grand mistake" Well, how does he
say iR Does he say 1t on his knees? Does
he say it with his lips In the dust2 Does
, he say, "God pardon me that 1 have beer
so immature and hasty. that have writer
my history with the tears of widows and il
the orphantage OF children and in the ru
in Of grown mani" No; trying TO teach
Is il the miserable trieer deserved Q hea
vsnl daughter and applause.) He I'm
dertakes to retire from this high mistak,
. into profesorship Of political economy
{ Mr.. Phillips said he had been told that II
c State street the hero of gold in this city
the man on whose head rested more thai
on any other single man in Boston, the re
. sponsibili.y of this great mistake that ha,
3 put people sgast, had confessed In tn
: ears Of his friends that he had made mis-
take. and that gold adheared to alone woul,
: bankrupt the world. [Applause.l Tn
crust was very thin. When the two lead
ers made such confessions il was prett
! certain that there was more hollownes
than substance. 1t Ronld not surprise hin
he said, If in five years the hard none
men were obliged to nail the flags of th
journals to keep them in the right direct
ion, just as the Dutch nailed their vane
4 northward when they wanted north wint
He was in favor Of settling the souther