The Globe-republican., 1890-08-27

Written expressly for the GLOBE REPUBLICAN
HOURS PAST never return. How nee
essary that they be not misspent? II
well spent they bring and leave bless
ing; if misspent they leave curse.
IT
WENDELL PHILLIPS was scholar, an
orator. a reformer, an agitator and a
royal man. He was one of the best pro-
ducts of our scholastic civilization. He
was born of wealthy parents, Graded in
luxury. brought up in affluence. sur
rounded by riches. and was one of the
best types of New England aristocracy
Notwithstanding all this, he was true
man. man of the people. defender of
the peoples rights.
WHEN THE SLAVE had no friend. in
the name of liberty Phillips espoused his
cause. To speak against slavery meant
social and political Ostracism. To op-
pose the slave trade and the fugitive
slave law meant tar and feathers, rotten
eggs, Kisses. jeers and boots by the angry
mob. But he spoke in the name of lib
eIty and humanity until the last shackel
fell from the manacled slave.
tft
| PHILLIPS was not content to have the
Negro alone made free, he pleaded for the
freedom of the slave to drink. The toll
ing millions spend their hard earned
dollars for the decoction of the still ''that
biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an
adder" With all the power of his elo-
quence he pleaded for sobriety, absti-
hence, temperance; and said ''Crush ap-
petite and prohibit temptation if it rots
great cities"
| He PLEADED for the education and en-
reimbursement of women. Instead of the
ballot dragging women down, her exer-
else of it will lift man up out of the dirty
pool Of politics. Woman's purer, nobler
nature will be constant check on man.
Instead of standing stigma of misrule
in our great cities the municipal govern
ment will be lifted into purer atmos-
phere by woman's influence.
I +
WENDELL PHILLIPS stopped not with
these reforms; he pleaded for the free
dom of the tOiler; for the just distribu-
ton of capital; the fair remuneration of
labor. He who plods the ceaseless round
of daily toll, with barely pay enough to
supply the sheer necessities of life. sees
no hope beyond bare subsistence. Life
becomes a burden upon bending form;
toll becomes routine that paralyzes
hope; and the physical. mental and NOR
al man is dwarfed into machine. He
who pleads the cause of the poor pleads
for God. So there are great reforms
that press us now. The first is the sup
preston and total humiliation of the
traffic in Intoxicating liquors as bever-
age. The second follows naturally, the
emancipation of the many million. from
landlordism. from the greedy grasp of
capitalists, and the full acknowledge
ment of equal rights to all.
+ + I
If THE REFORMS started in this cOun-
try half century ago by Wendell Phil
lips, William Lloyd Garrison and half a
dozen others, shall! be effected by the
close of this century vast work for hui
manity will have been accomplished. 1t
is not for pay these reforms are pushed, |
but for the lasting good of the race;
that the people may be lifted out of self
ishness and slavery to the highest free
dom in the right under the flag whose
very name is synonym for freedom and |
equal rights.
1T is SAID by some people that we
ought to have property qualification
for voters, so that we could reach the re-
forms we desire, thus insuring the gov
against the danger of being
by the poor and thriftless.
But such proposition is against the
genius of our institutions. Instead of
making few dollars the test of citizen
ship, make the test one of intelligence
and character. For only by intelligence
can people hope to govern themselves.
And the test of instruction should not
stop with the three Rs; but should ex-
Tend to the reasonable understanding of
he functions of government and the du-
lies of citizenship.
OUR LEGISLATORS are surely at fault
ia relation to our naturalization laws.
In some states the foreigner has to re-
main only a year or two at most and he
citizen, having learned scarce
y the fret rudiments of our national
principles. His education has been
wholly different, brought up, perhaps,
lnder monarchy like Russia, with no
ust conception of free government and g.,