New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-04-18
: AnglO=AmeriCan Memories
Copyright. 1909. by Geors. W. Fmall.y,


and he could not yet make up his mind. He
said:
i came to talk to you because / know you
against me- What 1 have said TO you before
makes no impression. You still think ought to
renounce my past, thirty years of It, belle my
pledges. disown every profession Of faith. bless
those whom have cursed, start afresh with
new set Of political principles, and admit my
life has been a mistake
Certainly not the last" | said. land as for
the others. you not taking a rhetorical view,
platform view? But l will go further, I don't
think 1t matters much what you sacrifce,-con-
sistency. principles. or anything They belong
to the past. They have nothing TO do with to-
day The war iss upon us You must either
support it or oppose it. If you oppose it, you
fling away your position and all your influence.
You will never be listened to again
And He sat silent, unmoved. Nothing
l could say. nothing anybody could say, would
move him All his life long he had thought for
himself; in minority of one 1t had to be so
now We talked Finally I said: 81 will tell
you what 1 once heard negro say: When my
massa and somebody else quarrel I'm on the
somebody else's side. Don't you think the
negro knows? Do you really doubt that war
between the Slave Power and the North he the
result what it may, must end in Freedom I
am not sure that I did hear a negro say
that. but I hoped that Phillips would open his
mind TO the negro If not 10 me. And think he
did. trust this little artihce of debate was not
very wrong l had TO urge what | could, but
knew Phillips would decide for himself He
left saying Il will see YOU again tonight"
went to his house. When I opened the door of
the parlour, there lay Phillips on the sofa asleep
Ten minutes later he awoke: lay silent for an
other minute then said:
Sball bax
any more. am going to speak next Sunday at
the Music Hall for the War and the Union
And he began at once TO consider how he
should announce his conversion. Having gone
over, he took his whole heart with him. No
compromise, no transition. not one word to re-
tract. not hint of apology or explanation.
Yesterday an Abolitionist. TO whom the Con-
stitution was a covenant with death and an
agreement with hell. To-day d soldier for the
Union. Presently he said:
1T will be the most important speech of my
life. ! don't often write. as you know. but
shall write this and viii read it to you when ii
is finished Two days later he sent for me
again, and these were the first sentences 1
heard:
Many times this winter. here and elsewhere.
] have Counseled peace.-urged as well as I
knew how the expediency of acknowledging
Southern Coniederacy and the peaceful separa-
ton of these thirty-four States. one OF ;i1-
journals announces to you that came here
this morning to retract those opinions. No not
one of them
/ said: Mr.. Phillips, you will never get be-
yond that. They will not listen"
Then they will be the last sentences shall
ever utter in public. But do pOH listen"
And he went on, in his finest platform man
ner and voice
NO. not Of them. I need them aIl-every
word I have spoken this winter-every act OF
twenty-five years of my life, TO make the well
come I give this war hearty and hot"
He knew what he was about When IT became
known he was to speak for the Union Charles
Follen came to me and asked whether I thought
Phillips would like the Music Hall platform
hung with the American flag. Yes" said Phil
lips deck the altar for the victim" And
decked it was-a forest of flags; and the flags
told the story. long before Phillips opened his
mouth. There not a note of remonstrance
as he announced his refusal to retract And
again he went on:
Civil war is a momentous evil. It needs the
soE1ndest, most solemn Justification I rejoice
before God to-day for every word have spoken
counselIing peace but I rejoice also, and still
more deeply that now. for the first time in my
anti-sIavery life. I speak beneath the stars and
Stripes. and welcome the tread of Massachu-
sets men marshalled for war.
| never saw such scene. The audience
sprang up and cheered and cheered and cheered.
The hall A furnace seven times heated.
The only unmoved man was Phillips. He waited
and once more went on:
NO matter what the past has been or said;
today the slave asks God for sight Of this ban
ner and counts it the pledge Of his redemption.
Hitherto 1t may have meant what you thought
or what | thought: to-day il represents SOW
ereignty and justice. Massachusetts has been
sIeepjng on her arms since 80. The first can
non shot brings her to her feet with the war
cry Of the Revolution on her lips
And so on to the end. It was nobler speech
even than in the printed report for that came
from his manuscript and often he put his man
uscript aside and let himself go. The inspira-
ton of the moment more than any written
words When il was over, there was again a
mob outside. a mob that would have carried the
orator shoulder-high TO Essex street. The hon
est strong face of the Deputy Chief of Police
wore broad smile. He had done his duty HIS
responsibilities were ended. He, too. had fought
his fight Phillips took it all cooiiy- 1t was
sucb A triumph as comes to man once in his
life and once only;-the finest hour in Phillips's
life He never reached greater height of ora
tory nor an equal height Of devotion FOR his
triumph was over himself. 6. W. 3
p7rrTy