The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-14
WENDELL PHILLIPS FOR DISUNION.
His Remarkable Speech at Boston Before the
Outbreak of the Rebellion.
Boston Special to New YORK sun

Boston Special to New YORK Sun.
When Mr.. Finerty, of Illinois, offered his res
olution in the House. honoring the memory of
Wendell Phillips, Mr.. Eaton of Connecticut
called out, Il object" and the effect was that the
Speaker could not at that time receive the reso-
lutiCn. Mr.. Eaton is credited with saying pri-
vatey in explanation of his course, that the res
olution was badly worded and described Mr.
Phillips not only as great orator which he I'M
questionably was, but statesman. which he
as certainly was not; and that when the South
proposed to secede the great agitator also did
his utmost to break up the Union
Mr. Eatons alusion is presumably to an ad-
dress which Mr. Phillips delivered on Sunday
Jan 20, 1861, in the Boston Music Hall, before
the Twenty-eighth Congregational Society
Those whose memories go back to that time of
intense public excitement, when the future was
so ominous will recall that the Governor of the
State. the Acknowledgement, the county sheriff.
and the mayor of the city stationed themselves
close by to meet threatened outbreak against
the speaker; that police officers were scattered
through the crowded hall, and large reserve
force secretly held ready few rods distant
Wendell Phillips was then at the climax of his
rhetorical power and fame, and inspired by the
feeling that the hour he had worked for during
quarter of a century had come, he delivered a
speech which proved at once an unsurpassed
specimen of his oratory and clear statement of
his all ruling political idea. You may be inter
ested in these typical passages of the address
cut from the Atlas and Bee of the following
morning:
THE Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice The
Covenant with death is annulled-the Agreement with
He'll is broken TO pieces. The chain which has held
the slave system since 1897 is parted. Thirty years
ago Southern leaders, sixteen years ago Northern
abotonists announced their purpose to seek the dis
ISOLATION of the American Union. Who dreamed that
success would come soon? South Carolina, bank
rupt, alone with ahundred thousand slaves than
whites four blacks to three whites within her border
filings her gauntlet at the feet of 25 600 600 of peo
pie IN the defence of an idea. lwould New England
could count State fearless among her six Three
States have followed her example Probably the rest
of the slave States, many of Them will find them
selves unable to resist the infection-aud then the
whole merciless conspiracy of 1857 is ended, and
timd will dare to hate slavery without trembling
for bread or life"
Suppose State has no right to secede of what
consequence is thatl union is made up of willing
rights, quite perfect, yet wholly incapable of being
enforced. South Carolina may be punished for her
faults in going out of the Union but that does not
keep her in it. Why not recognize soberly the nature
and necessityof our position. Why not, like states
men, remember that homogeneous nations, like France
tend to like ours tend
inevitably to dismembermentl"
"Real unions are not made-they grow. This was
made, like artificial waterfall a Connecticut nut
meg. 1t was not oak which to-day a tempest shat
ters. It was wall hastily built, in hard times of
round powders; the cement has crumbled and the
smooth stones, o6eying the law of gravity, tumble
here and there. Why should we seek TO stop them
merely to show that We have right and CAM That
were only waste of means and temper. Let us
build, like the pyramids, fabric which every natural
law guarantees or, better still plant union whose
life survives the ages and quietly gives birth to its
successor"
''Now, if the Union created for us fresh Golconda
every month, if it made every citizen wise solomon
blameess as st. John, and safe angel in the
courts of heaven, to cling to it would still be damna
BILE crime hateful to God. while its cement was the
blood of the negro-while it, and it alone made the
crime OF slave-holding possible in fifteen States"
Sacrifice anything to keep the save-hoding States
in the Union! God forbid! We will rather build a
bridge of gold and pay their toll itaccompany
them out with glad noise of trumpets and speed the
parting guest. Let them not stand on the order of
their going but go at once! Take the forts empty
our arsenals and subtreasuries and we will lend
them beside jewels of gold and Jewels of silver and
Egypt be glad when they are departed"
"a union whose despotism is so cruel and searching
that onehalt our lawyers and one-haH merchants
stiile conscience for bread-in the name of Martin
Luther and John Milton, of Algernon Sydney and
Henry Vane of John Jay and Samuel Adams, | de-
clare such a union failure"
'Disunion is abolition That is all the value dis
union has for care nothing for forms of govern
ment. No foreighn State dare touch us united or di
vded 1t matters not to whether Massachusetts is
worth one thousand millions, as now, or two thou
sand, as she might be- if she had no Carolina to feed
protect, and carry the mails for The music of dis
union to me is that at its touch the slave breaks into
voice, shouting his jubilee"
I'm my soul believe that dissolution of the Union
sure to result speedily in the abolition of slavery
eased gradually dying out of slavery, constantly
poisoning with the fostering remains Of this corrupt
political social, and literary state"
Take your distorted Union, your nightmare mon
ster out of the light and range of those laws of trade
and competition; then, without any sacrifice on your
part, slavery will go to piecesl'
"All hail then disunion! Beautiful on the noun
tans the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings
that publisheth peace that saith unto Zion thy God
regneth The sOds of Bunker Hill shall be greener
now that their great purpose is accomplished. Sleep
in peace martyr Of Harpers Ferry Your life not
given in vain. Rejoice spirits of Fayetee and Kosc
usko The only stain on your swords is passing
away"
These extracts will give some idea of this ia
nous speech 1t may be added that Mr.. Phil
lips, who was escorted home by the police and
body of his friends was not assaulted, few
pieces of ice thrown by the crowd around his
house being the only demonstration.
Gang of COunterfeiters Captured.
I Crl