The river press., 1884-03-05
The Great Agitator and Reformer-A
Brief Review of His Life and
characteristics.

With the death Of Wendell Phillips
the last Of the great pioneers and or
iginaI apostles OF aboitionsnl in the
United States is gathered to his reward.
He was born in Boston on the 29th of
November, 1911 AT the age OF nine
teen he graduated from Harvard college,
began at once the study Of law, and was
admitted to the bar i'm 1884.
His sympathies We're strongly aroused
by the prosecution Of the early abolition
ists more particularly during the Bos-
ton agitation or October, 1885, when
Garrison, the leader Of the abolitionists,
narrowly escaped with his life. The
following year Phillips gave up the
practice If law. because he was unWill
ING to act under an oath OF allegiance
to the constitution of the United States,
and publicly joined the aLolitionists.
In 1865 he succeeded William Lloyd
Garrison as president OF the anti-slavery
ociety, which position he continued to
ho.d until the dissolution OF that organi-
Zation in 1870.
In his time Wendell Phillips espoused
many causes, such as prohibition, aboli-
ton of interest on money, communism,
agrarianisn, greenback fiat money, the
election OF General Butler to the pre-
sidency, woman's rights, the abolition
of the government and all penal laws,
the restriction OF rutfians and criminals
by the power of love only, the aboli
ton of slavery and Of the American.
constitution as "a covenant with death
and league with helln He opposed
bitterly the formation Of the anti
slavery political party. He was cam
didate for the governor for Massachu
setts at one time, but he received only
small vote. During the war he drop
ped all his views of no government and
non-political action against slavery, and
became an advocate of the most ex-
treme measures for it's suppression.
Thus twenty-five of the best years of
his life devoted to the agitation of an
anti-slavery sentiment eliminated in
success with the issue of the emancipa-
ton proclamation, and amidst a mighty
shock of arms.
With the extinguishment of slavery
the activities Of Mr.. Phillips mind
sought new directions, and whatever
subject he discussed, the magnetic elo-
quence, the never-failing courage, the
splendid intellectual powers, and the
fierce defiance of public sentiment, if
against him, are fresh in the memory
of all American citizens. His sympathy
with humanity was unbounded, his
hatred of oppression in all its forms,
and of shams in all their phases, was
intense. His grasp of the future possi-
bilities of American civilization was far
reaching, and the world, in spite of the
mistakes he may have made, was the
better for his living.
In personal appearance Mr.. Phillips
was man of fine and commanding
presence. He was no doubt the most
complete and polished orator on the
American platform. Although the as
sociate Of the cultured and aristocratic,
he was man of the simplest habits and
the least ostentation. He lived for
forty years in a modest tWo-story brick
house built by himself in Boston, and
which he vacated most unWillingly in
1882, the property having been ICON
demned" for street improvements. In
the death of Mr.. Phillips the little band
Of surviving original abolitionists loses
its most heroic and striking figure
Doctor Furness and Robert Purves, of
Washington, and the veteran poet
Whittier, of Massachusetts, and a few
others of lesser note still survive. and
mourn the death of their silver tongued
leader; but the ranks of the heroic
men and women who faced obloquy
and persecution for the sake of the
friendless black man are growing thin
ner every year.