The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-15
WENDELL PHILLIPS AND HIS TIMES.
Mrs. Mary Liyermores Interesting Account
of the Great Agitator.

was great theme, erandly discussed: long ac-
quaintance with the foremost of anti-slavery
orators enabling her to give a peculiarly inter-
esting account of lis life and works. The lee
ture began with graphic history of American
slavery and the events Of the numerous agita-
tions, with the various actors engaged therein,
from the landing of the first cargo of slaves,
bought by the colonists at jamestown as soon
as they were able to pay for them, down to the
outbreak of the great civil war which resulted
in the obliteration of the Nations sin and
shame She admirably showed the spirit of the
two sections in contrasting the conduct of the
North and that of the South when the Territory
of Missouri sought admission as a slave State,
and which-was so let in by Maine coming in as
free State For two years the strife was as
earnest and bitter as was possible to imagine.
The North, it was known, would submit if de-
feated, but it was observable that if the South
was defeated it would shatter the Union to
pieces. There was peace only because the de-
mands of the slave power had been satisfied.
In 1881 the real struggle with slavery began.
William Lloyd Garrison was in Boston with
the Liberator. The year before, he had
started paper in Baltimore. To
silence him they had cast him in prison.
Released, he came-to Boston, andiin dingy little
Office was the beginning of the freedom of
race We now look with amazement upon that
little paper of four pages It's first number
threw the country, North and South, into
spasm. Slavery was exposed from the stand
point Of STAKEHOLDER. The whippings, brand
ings, killngs-the horrible outrages and wrongs
prcticed upon the negro as they were chronicled
in the Southern papers were taken land copied
into the Liberator. Nothing could be
subserviency of the New England States
to the South. It was largely through
the backing of the rich and learned of Massachu-
sets that the South so long retained her hold
upon New England. If Massachusetts has been
disgraced by men and women who upheld the
accursed wrong of slavery, she has been honored
by other men and women who opposed that in
iquity-men and women of the rarest courage
and the noblest character, and men and women.
too of wealth. A society was organized, and
they showed to the South what the Abolitionists
intended to do. They published tracts, and
obtaining the names of prominent people, men
and women in the South, shareholders, they
sent documents broadcast by mail over the South
They meant to make fair, honest and reason
able contest This created the most intense
excitement A mob at Columbia, S. c., broke
into the postofice and tearing open the mail
bags, destroyed these papers. In Charleston, S.
O., reward of 81: 500 was offered for the appre-
hension of any one distributing the Liberator
In Georgia, the Legislature offered reward for
William Lloyd Garrison, dead or alive. The
gag law was enforced in Congress. No man
could speak unless possessed of almost divine
courage. John Quincy Adams was bounded
down because he presented an anti-slavery Pc
tition in Congress Society looked upon
Numbered it's anathemas against them;
the press overwhelmed them with obloquy
They were pesecuted everywhere. Riots broke
out all over the North, except in Vermont
Captain Isaiah Rynders who died the other day
in New York, was the leader in many acts of
violence against them He lived, the lecturer
hoped. to see how unwise and wicked his course
had been. Mrs. Livermore said she lived in
southern Virginia two years, l83S40. She
knew OF men going through the country as
peddlers who, merely on suspicion, were sub
jected to every snecies of indgnity and insult
In Cincinnati the printing-pr of James g.
Birney, a mild man, and by no means an Adolf.
ZIONIST but who believed in free speech and u
discussion of the question, was broken and de-
stroyed.
The lecturer wildly portrayed Wendell
Philllpss impromptu debut on the occasion of a
public meeting held at Faneuil Hall, to make a
protest for free speech, which had been stricken
down in the person of the murdered Owen Love-
JOY That victim was not an abolitionist Of the
Garrison type. He believed in free speech, and
held that the question of slavery should be dis
cussed. He was not able to do so in Illinois and
lost his life. 1t was we'll understood that there
were black slaves in the South, and men were
now, now beginning ming. to ask IL, if N there
DR.. Charming had asked for Faneuil Hall
III which TO hold this meeting. The city gov
eminent of Boston refused it. 1t was feared
that the expression of few persons in Boston
might be taken by the people of the South as the
expression of the city, and injure the Southern
trade. The Doctor showed the authorities that
the tenure upon which Boston held the hall was
that upon the petition of a hundred of her citi-
zens it should be given for the purpose of
meeting, and If this provision of old Peter Fan
euils bequest was not complied with, the heirs
could claim and take the property from the city.
The hall was given to the petitioners. A
great crowd filled the house. Speeches
were made by DR.. Charming and others of a
moderate character commenting upon the privi-
lege of speech. Three persons had spoken
when James T. Austin, Attorney general of
Massachusetts, arose and proceeded to arraign
those who had called the meeting. He declared
that LoveJOyS murdererS wei justified, as were
the Mohawks who threw the tea from the ships
into Boston harbor, and compared the murder
ers with the founders of the republic
A great uproar followed, the mob bowling
their appreciation of Mr.. Austin's remarks.
Then the young man, Wendell Phillips, rose in
tho body Of the house to protest against the
speech of the Attorney-general He was
as beautiful as the Greek Apollo;
an aristocrat, born gentleman.
He made his way to the PLATFORM where, upon
facing the audience, he was met with a storm of
Kisses, catcalls, and other interruptions from
the mob. The speaker recited the facts OF the
Lovejoy case. He said he took issue with the
Attorney general of the Commonwealth. and
marveled that these pictured walls did not break
out and refute the recreant sanderer ofour noble
dead. Take it back! take it back" was shout
ed. Il decline to take it back" he said Il re-
peat 1t. He the Attorney general) is recreant
slanderer of our noble dead, in this building
which has rocked the cradle of our liberties"
Although the audience was against Phillips. he
went forth from that meeting famous man.
but from that time almost until the
war the homes and society of aristoeratic Boston
were closed against him. He had tongue of fire
and spoke works of flame.
1t has been said publicly that Phillips never did
days work in his life. The lecturer said she had
heard him say. and he Was the most ahsnlutelu |