National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-02-05
THE LATE WENDELL PHILLIPS.
A Rather cnusilo Criticism OF the Great
Orator by Two Veteran AbolitioniBts.
To me EtlltOr

A Rather caustio Criticism OF the Great
Orator by Two Veteran AbOlitiOniBts.
TO nc Editor.
Joining heartily in your appreciation of
Mr.. Phillips as polished orator, wo beg
leave, in tho interest Of historical accuracy,
to tako three exceptions TO your statements.
/. You class Mr.. Phillips with tho 'origl-
nal abolitionists." Objected TO. The date of
his adhesion to tho anti.slavory cause was in
1896, but the modern movement began in
1910, whom tho FREQ states rose rs ono
man to oppose tho admission of Missouri
and Arkansas as slave states The
leaders then woro Rufus King, John
Sergeant, Talmadgo Of Now York, and
many others. The powerful effort to make
Illinois slave state continued from 1920 70
August 1924, and brought many strong mon
TO the front as anti-slavory mon. Gov. Coles
was tho most prominent among thcm 10.
tween 1924 and 1880 the anti-slavcry move
mcnt became very active humorous anti
slavery societies were formed, among them
two in this district, and moro than 100 Of
the most respectable of our Cti2ons includ-
ing the judges, Joined in lS2S in pctitiOning
congress for the abolition of slavery aud the
slave trade at the national capital. In
1870 and 1926 tho Maryland anti-slavory
society ran candidate for tho legislature;
who received 07l votes in the lattor year.
In the doconnium ending with 1880 there
were hosts Of prominent anti-slaycry men.
We can remember now Robert j. BrecBin-
ridge, Embroe, Osborne, Swain, Goodell and
tho Tappans Rankin, Paxton, Towey, and
Duncan published strong anti-slaycry books,
and Lundy, Evans, Lewis, Embroo and Os-
borne had T-blishod anti-slavery papers.
Wendell Phillips entered into tho abolition
movement about seventeen years after its
beginning.
e. You say; "The abolitonists held that
the constitution of tho United States was q
wicked compact. having for It's purpose tho
maintenance of slavery, and thoy refused as
sent to it," Against this sweeping assertion
we do most earnestly protest. Thore was u
small clique in Boston who held that the con-
stitution was, TO use their phrase "a covenant
with death and q league with hell, b" and who
preached secession, notification, tho aboli-
ton of all human government aud of penal
laws no voting, no political action against
slavery, with sundry other fancilul isms.
This clique was not followed by more than
one in hundred of tho Massachusetts, aboli-
tionists, or one in ten thousand Of those in
other states Between the Phillips-Garrison
clique and the patriotic and voting anti
slavery mon there was always deep gulf.
| 2. You call Wendell Phillips an ANTI
slavery leader" In what, pray, did the anti
| slavery men follow him? Ho advised them
not to sustain tho constitution, and they sus-
tanned it; not to resist by force the encroach-
ments of tho slave power, and they used
Sharp's rifles in Kansas; not to form politi-
cal, and they formed it; not to vote for Lin
coln and they voted for and elected tho man
who finished slavery. Mr.. Phillips was the
orator of clique he had not in him the
stuff for an anti.slavery leader. His
ambition was to excel Edward Everett as a
polished speaker. lie succeeded in this, per-
haps; but his ultrasms and erratic notions
prevented him from gaining public conf
effect upon slavery as if ho had rung n cow
bell on Boston harbor. Tho great orator OF
abolitionism was Theodore ID. Weld. His
thousands of converts had no isms they
neither denounced their country nor. refused
to vote against the spread of slavery,
Two VETERAN ABoLITIoNIsTs.
| IJnb A