say to ministers of the Gospel:  “You pretend to be preaching and working for the love of the people.  Why, you are all the time preaching for the sake of the Church.”  What does the minister say?  “It is by means of the Church that we help the people,” and when men say that we are fighting for the Union, I too say we are fighting for the Union. [Hear, hear! and a voice:  “That ’s right.”] But the motive determines the value; and why are we fighting for the Union?  Because we never shall forget the testimony of our enemies.  They have gone off declaring that the Union in the hands of the North was fatal to slavery. [Loud applause.] There is testimony in court for you. [A voice:  “See that,” and laughter.] * * *

In the first place I am ashamed to confess that such was the thoughtlessness—­[interruption]—­such was the stupor of the North—­[renewed interruption]—­you will get a word at a time; to-morrow will let folks see what it is you don’t want to hear—­that for a period of twenty-five years she went to sleep, and permitted herself to be drugged and poisoned with the Southern prejudice against black men. [Applause and uproar.] The evil was made worse, because, when any object whatever has caused anger between political parties, a political animosity arises against that object, no matter how innocent in itself; no matter what were the original influences which excited the quarrel.  Thus the colored man has been the football between the two parties in the North, and has suffered accordingly.  I confess it to my shame.  But I am speaking now on my own ground, for I began twenty-five years ago, with a small party, to combat the unjust dislike of the colored man. [Loud applause, dissension, and uproar.  The interruption at this point became so violent that the friends of Mr. Beecher throughout the hall rose to their feet, waving hats and handkerchiefs, and renewing their shouts of applause.  The interruption lasted some minutes.] Well, I have lived to see a total revolution in the Northern feeling—­I stand here to bear solemn witness of that.  It is not my opinion; it is my knowledge. [Great uproar.] Those men who undertook to stand up for the rights of all men—­black as well as white—­have increased in number; and now what party in the North represents those men that resist the evil prejudices of past years?  The Republicans are that party. [Loud applause.] And who are those men in the North that have oppressed the negro?  They are the Peace Democrats; and the prejudice for which in England you are attempting to punish me, is a prejudice raised by the men who have opposed me all my life.  These pro-slavery Democrats abuse the negro.  I defended him, and they mobbed me for doing it.  Oh, justice! [Loud laughter, applause, and hisses.] This is as if a man should commit an assault, maim and wound a neighbor, and a surgeon being called in should begin to dress his wounds, and by and by a policeman should come and collar the surgeon and haul him off to prison on account of the wounds which he was healing.