Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1851-05-23
1rer pres 6,
FRIDAY MORNING MAY %, 1851.
Mr., Summers Letter.
BURLINGTON,vT

WeH-Wrltten ana patrOucaIly eNpreaseu leller
of MIR. SUMNER TO the Massachusetts Legsla-
ture, accepting the office of u S. Senator con-
ferred upon him by the Locoiocos and Free
Sellers Of that body. We gave the letter "with-
out note or comment" thinking we would like
to hear from the Burlington Courier OH the
subject before committing" ourselves. But
on the whole we will say word in anticipa-
ton of our lively neighbor
i, is certainly difficult to imagine what the
Courier can say in commentator of MIR. Sum-
NERs manifes'o-though we suppose that
flexible paper will attempt gracefully to &C
commodate itself to the change of clrcum-
stances" The letter of Mr.. SUMNER is as far
as can possibly be conceived from the higha-
lutin "doctrines" and practises of the Free
Democracy" Of Vermont, and the Free
Sellers" of Massachusetts ! Mr.. SUMNER
speaks of the Union "whereof we are an IN
plssoLuBLE PART; "a sentiment that Eli;u
. Wright a. Co., will find it hard TO swallow.
He accepts the office Gas the servant OF THE
UN1os,' bound " to dscountenance every effort
ship of States is held in fralernal company, and
TO oppose all sectonalism "a sentiment that
will CRATE harsh thunder on the ears of the
ranting, raving school of gas fixtures known as
L. d. Barrier q. Co. lie speaks of" the de-
fusion of the hour evidently meaning thereby
the "wrath and cabbage" set ahoat, on one
side, by the South Carolina Secoders, and on
the other by their CO delusionists, the political
rantpole Free Sellers of the Moth. What
u,U Judge Thompson say to this! lie speaks
plainly of his intention to "decline recogni-
zng, as his guides ANY Of the men OF to-day;"-
which manifestly includes ALL the mushroom
phlanthtopis,s and politicians who have sprang
up, unknowing and unknown, " to witch the
world with noble horsemanship,' Tor rather
assmarship,) since the nomination of Gen.
TAYLOR, aud about all of whom were once
rallied on a certain humbug remembered as the
Buffalo PLATFORM" and the resduum of whom
may be found trying to get up "new parties"
and stealing other peoples names, in Vermont,
and forming coalitions with anybody that has
sufficiently small development of seli-respect
for the operation, in Massachusetts,. This class
of patriots, Mr.. Sumner concludes to decline"
lie has evidently " done taking rye! !"
- These are the prominent topics
"the salient points"-of Mr.. SUMMERS beauti-
fully written letter. They may be compressed
into two positions: LIST. He is firm and in
flexible UNIoNIsr; and, Cd. He holds in great
contempt the Exclusions of the hour" and 1.-THE
men OF TO-DAY" Now, as the Free Soil
ers" in Vermont and Massachusetts are not I'm
ionists at ALL are the concoctors of all manner
of delusions," and clearly hold 81 the men Of
to day" to be about the biggest kind Of men -
superior to any that have lived before or since
Agamemnon-itis apparent that Mr.. SuMNER's
ship and theirs are sailing for different ports -
the first towards Fraternal Love and Harmony, |
the other towards Dscord and Hatred!
Mr.. SUMNER is highly cultivated man
Scholar and closet thinker, by his own admis-
sion, rather than practical Statesman, or
Student Of politics. He theories and phlloso-
phizes on legislation and has Standards oflnor |
al excellence to which he will attempt to ccn-
form his practice, doubtless. 1t is evident, GER
tainly, that he is not a man to run the risk OF an
archy and misrule by aiming to overthrow what
is good i'll the hope of establishing something
that appears in theory better. Reaching after
the best absolutely he will be content with the
best aitunable. We think so, and we believe
he will be found, a,lcnys, in the U. S. Senate
voting side by side with john DAVIS, his hon
orcd colleague, SEWARD, FISH, and other sound
Wing Statesmen, who do not love their coun
try less because they hope confidently, one day
to see it consistently Free Country, as HARRY
CLAY nobly said, "wiTHoUT WAR, WITHOUT
BLoopsHED, AND WITH THE COMMON CONSENT
OF THE PEOPLE"
- But the Courier will be cloquenty |
grandiloquent over Mr.. SUMMERS letter. There
is no reasonable doubt CT it. And there is one
obscure hint in it that will command the 'oudes,
applause from this discouraged organ of Free
Democracy" The strength of the Courier will |
be put forth in a misty giortcation of the only
portion of the letter that is undeniaby ridcu- |
lous. Mr.. SUMNER intimatcs rather than says, |
he is prudent many that his election was
brought about by FIDELITY TO PRINCIPLE on
the part of those who elected him while ev-
erybody knows that it was the result of nothing
but political truck-and-dicker, horse-swap- |
ping, political bargain, between couple !
of discordant factions in Massachusetts, whose
principle was tolerably equitable division Of
"the spoila." This is the fact, ard Mr.. SUM
NER alludes to it as briefly and bndly as his
decent obligations to "the high contracting par
ties" would permit. But universal Free Soil |
dom will grab this obscure hint, as a Shark
grabs a red rag, and swear that it is "the ring
of the true coin!" We refer our readers TO the
forthcoming Courier for ''further particulars"
Extremes meet.
We have repeatedly said, as we have be-
heycd, that the ultra pro-Slavcrytes of the
South and the ultra anti-Slaveryites of the
North, are working together to bring about the