The original is at the Houghton Library of Harvard University. From the Blagden Collection of Wendell Phillips Papers: 10 letters from M. Pinner to Wendell Phillips, 1860-1873, bMS Am 1953 (1006) [item 1].
Transcribed (by Doron Zeilberger) and placed on the web: November 2003.
By kind permission of the Houghton Library of Harvard University.
New York Febr. 24, 1860.
Hon. Wendell Philips [sic]
Boston.
Dear Sir! After reading in the N.Y. Herald of to-day a report in detail of your abominable utterances at a recent anti-slavery gathering in your notorious town of Bosting [sic] I am compelled to charge you with the crime I have suspected you of long ago, that of seducing the Oracle of Fulton Str., the Right Honourable James Gordon Bennet. Shame upon you for such wickedness! Was it not enough for you, to poison the minds of these noble men, who in spite of your teachings remain Republicans? What good can it possibly do you, to take the bull by the horns and to deprive the Democracy of their champion? What are we in reality going to do now for Our Union, Our Constitution, Our Country, Our State Rights and whatever else belongs to Us?! Oh it is wicked to destroy the prosperity and the prospects of a nation, to prophesy insurrection, to preach the irresistable [sic] conflict and to inaugurate an entirely new manifest destiny! But you will have to answer to your many sins on the day of judgement [sic]. Bennet don't say so, but I do. - Loyal , consavitive [sic], union-saving Bennett has turned abolitionist, God may forgive you, I can't! - But then the thing is done, and there is no use crying over spilt milk. I am only curious to know the charms you used in that seduction, and since I am sound on the goose, you might as well entrust me with them.
In regard to the next U.S. census I received from Mr. Sherman the enclosed epistle, which verifies once more my former assertion: whatever is pro-slavery is constitutional, whatever anti-slavery unconstitutional. Ye reformers are either ahead of or behind the times.
Helper is helping the world to another dose of his pills. He is engaged completing his statistics to date and to issue a revised edition of his compendium. I hoped he would wait for the next census returns, but he seems to be in a hurry. Should notoriety have weakened or encouraged him? According to his last revelations to me, he only gave to Burdick the copy-right to 50,000 copies, but since the sale of them he received regular authors percentage. I wish he would make a hundred thousand dollars out of it. For the Missouri Post I could do but very little, since I had the pleasure of seeing you. I met with little success in New Bedford and with none at all in Fall River, Taunton & Pittsfield, but I hope nevertheless, that the "Post" will keep head above water. I shall be in St Louis shortly and there shall get some advertisements for it, if nothing else. - The Charter for my Missouri enterprize [sic] is progressing at Albany. I think I shall get it. A thousand blessings upon your head.
Yours Truly
M Pinner
Box 2583 New York.