Wendell Phillips, Theodore C. Pease, Speeches, Lectures and Letters of Wendell Phillips: Volume 2

[32] evaded any expression of opinion on the propriety or necessity of the late Fugitive Slave Bill, another homage of vice to virtue. He also admitted the slave clause of the Constitution to be immoral. His only argument to justify our fathers in admitting it was, they were afraid to do otherwise; feared poverty, England, anarchy, and all sorts of ills. The Sultan might well have pleaded, in the face of Mr. Webster's recent eloquence, that fear of dethronement, anarchy, Russia, and a thousand ills, justified him in surrendering Kossuth. Would the world, would humanity, would even Mr. Webster, have said Amen to such a plea from his mouth? There may be times when States should say with the great Roman, “It is necessary to go; it is not necessary to live!” Perhaps Mr. Curtis may yet find this to be one of those occasions. One thing we know, the great senator told the Sultan that if Kossuth were given up, he could not tell how or when, but verily, Turkey would somehow have to “look out for the consequences.” “I thank thee, Jew, for teaching me that word.” Once on a time Emperor Georgia sent after our William and Ellen Kossuth; the Webster Whigs argued for their surrender; and Heaven has graciously permitted us to live and see both how and when they had to “look out for the consequences.” [Laughter and cheers.]

Mr. Curtis defended the right of Massachusetts to surrender the fugitive slave, on the ground that every sovereign State had authority to exclude foreigners front its soil. “Exclude foreigners from the soil” ! How delicate a phrase! What a “commodity of good names” this trouble of ours has coined! “Service and labor” was the Constitutional veil to hide the ugly face of slavery. Then, “Peculiar institution” ! “Patriarchal institution” !! “Domestic institution” !!! And now, “excluding foreigners from our soil” !!!! “Truly, the ”