New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-11
TRIBUTES TO MR.. PHILLIPS.
AN GRAFTON BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Wendell Phillips. The discourse was noteworthy
one as the utterance of antI-savery orator re-
gardug another. Mr.. Beecher spoke first of the
anti-slavery days md then OF the career Of Mr.
Phillips. Mr.. Beecber chose for his text, Psalm,
xii and 2: " Blessed is no that cOnsidereth the
poor the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
The Lord will preserve him. and keep him alive;
and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou
wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.'
he said
II was on last "Wednesday that standing upon the steps
of tae Parker House in Boston, In schoost, my aten-
ton was arrested by procession. As they came up,
saw sodierly body Of cOlored men, with mu5kets re-
versed with silent hand Intermediate, with the officers
corps behind with Ords reversed. and then the car
ages that followed ths that boro dust 70 dust ali
that remained on earth Of Wendell Phillips. The STREETS
could not bold the crowd andae, whom the mob has
sought once and again To to pieces drew tears
Cd svery slds from the mob and the obsequiouJ city
SOUGHT make up vulgar Of other days BY s
worshipfl attention now.
II f. respecting and h4 times that shan, very
briefly aud imperfectly speak thi5 morning Fifty years
ago. during my college lfe was chosen by the Atnenan
Society to debate the question ~ African colonization,
which then new fresh and enthusiastic. Garrison
was then Just klndug INTO that ire-brand-a brand Of
fire that never went out until slavery consumed
wendell Phillips. a young LAWYER, had Just begun his
career Fortunately assigned to the negative side
OF question: and In preparing 10 speak prepared my
wtoie liic commended against c00nl71ton az c0ae
tion colonization was 0ut MUS
better than enforced slavery-and advocated ha1iet
emancipation III the broad gronui " human rights.
knew very little then, bat knew that al men are
designed of God to be- free and that ought To be the text
Of every MANS feths sscrelness OF humanity given
of God and redeemed from anmasm by Jesus Christ.
crowned and clothed with rights that no law 2or opprc5
sion should dare touch
Nearly two generations passed since then, and the
young who nIrclnAg now from youth to man
mood little acquainted with the men or movements OF
those dlys bur few gayheadS are lot WhO can recall
an these scenes 1t has been sand that meu are more 4
nOrart OF that part OF history which immediately precefes
their lives than Ofauv other Let therefore, throw
some little t2t upon the history OF those Jays tuAt -
mediatcly precedc our own.
4 HISTORICAL RETROsPECT or SLAVERY.
At the beginning In the history of this people. slavery
was the accident; was introduced at time before the
worlds eyes had been opened came in indeed under
the color benevoeuce; it had not attanc very great
estate for years. and yet in the days or ia infancy
SO conalctcd with the fundamental IDEAS which our
institutions andaws based that the Northern States
got rlI Of IT, Because tue climate and husDandry were
not favorable to IL IN the Northern states they
helped 10 do it, but the spir5 OF liberty had taken
on the moral element in New-England and in
NewN orll aud Feunsylvlnia ana 80 1t was very soon
Industrial element Rice, sugar. cotton were the trly
that dominated he industry OF tue SCUM aEG 81
wesflvorablc t. tn sliIpriudltr oecdh leeloIe
pecunay interest to the south ~ never was IN the
North; Atrr3 time t2e industry became 80 Inp'tstnn
that although throughout az the eoutu m te carrier
days. recognized slavery rs SIN ana us eAist'h
Il great misfortune, ana always hDpcu Jidt Lhr udy
would speedily come IOf udlciptsloi y't an U.s.
hopes aud pcctations and resisted and over
thrown by the fact that slavery became political IN
tcrcst, IL became the centre when uhlled every
southern state With every other an gave unity % hc
party Of the South; SD that political rraons rooted IN
pccuiy reasons gave great sIieIEtn % ~ cry 10
propaglndsm in the South The North enaneipa-ci the
It has been said thousand times. and every time
falsely. nt -at by Of the most eloquent sons 81
the south few months a 20 in Cooper Union where
preslNci; II was not tne 'iiue nor ~ M ~ ~ rt6
pose The ri statementD II has bean san mat the Nfh
sold ol having realized on their slaves, invested IN
IL has no historical verify to IN Massachusetts, where
vermont Ee5yI upshire and Milne. It died by very
simple legal decision, where one case vas pfOu1hV luIo
the courts and the courts determined that ~ was lIcoh
sisent with the D'cdi3tin OF lnaePrnleh'e tt tie
Constitution sequen,. and the man stood free After tlat
their enactment nothing. slavery pOilsued OF
Itself by that O1e sin lie enactment
TIE ATTITUDE or NEw-YORK TOWARD SLAVERY.
In New-York a bill passed early for the gradual
emancipation OF slaves, aud It guarded In every way
On obtaining certain age they We're to become free,
ND TO that age they were the property Of
their masters, upon whom the responsibility Of their
support still rested with full weight After trial Of
some years it cOnsl Ped great deal better 10
be RI of the evil a once and subsequent LEGISLATION de-
those falsely accused che integrity and love OF liberty
the LAWS and 10 the practice under teUb y0l snau nhd
that with the declaration 81 emancipation, both the prn
tive OF It and the subsequent form or II, the rights
o. the sllye OF the coming freedman were guaranteed,
and their safety No permitted to take slave
return and If ne back without his slave, unless he
could prove that he had died away he was himself made
a criminal and subjected criminal punishment. ana
there to believe that In regard To the vast num-
Der OF tho comparatively few slaves that were IN the
state NJ Ncw-YOrk their emancipation was bona Tide
emancipation and they never were sold South
Now and then man can Str morse, oul IL snOll hot
Law To the state from which 1t taken the charge OF
abetrins theft. There may have been single men or
women sririfpl away: There NAV have been tuleyery:
know of none; have heard Of none; there may have
been bat Whatever the statute could do to maintain the
slave Ia hi, nt,lry and liberty was done, and su5stan-
i.tlf u
wash Of rotten defamation that hear going through
into the business of emancipation Is false -,
M the time that came to the consciousness Of public
Affairs and studying my profession may De described
word the condition VI Imprisoned moral sense
All men, almost agreed with all men That slavery was
wrong, but what we dor The compromse OF our
fathers include us ana bInd uA To hdehty 20 tne
agreements that had been made IN the formation Ol
olr Constil Ition Our confederation nrst anu our Coi
obligations by men that mated slavery Ihe cOinP ,
promises OF the Constitution must be respected s1id tne
priest IN tne RRt sad sae Pd mean ar .9 In En-
land especially could Understand what was the rea-
OF the hesancy OF President Lincoln and OF tae peo-
pie, when they had risen to arms IN declaring AT once 'e
emf FOR which taken and armies gathered 10
the of the slaves. There never has been
instance IN which, nnk he eehiss anu Ie IhV
sense large a number people have been heil 10
check for OK fidelity 20 obligations assumed IN
their behalf There has been in history another
instance more notable and am bound TO say with all It's
faults and wc3 ss-s, more noble. The commercial
question that the underlying moral element-the
commercial question: in the North very soon became on
the subject O slavery, what tho INDUSTRIAL anu poCa
question OF the 5olth ma made IL IL corrupted t9e
manufactures and ne merchant Throughout tho whole
North every that could make anything regarded the
South his Legal lawful Market for the South ddn
manufactures had the cheap and vulgar husbandry or
slavery. They could make more money with cotton IMAM
with corn or pork leather or hats wooden
ware and Northern ships South to take their forest
wooenware and axeh and rlkehandes, and carried
them right back sell them 10 the men whose axes had
cut down the The South Manufactured nothing,
except slaves il was great manufacture, that; and the
whole market OF the North brbed the harness makers,
the wagpumakers the cKakers makers OF al manner
of mpenent OF all manner Of goods, every mandatory
every loom clanked IN the North said, maintain
not slavery. but tho compromises OF the Consu-
tuition" the Constitution, for that was
the veil under which all these cries continually Ut
tered.
THE CONTEST IN TIE CHURCHES.
The distinction between the AntISlavery men and
Aboliouists was simply this The AboiOnsts dsclamed