The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-09-20
SENATOR SUMNER AND THE FUGITIvES
FROM LABOR.


Northern Know Nothing party that would scorn
fully refuse to permit white men, flying from
unrequted labor, from hunger, and from wan
IN It's every form, to land upon our shores. an
yet who clasp, with fraternal affection, the filth
and criminal negro who has escaped from hi
master.-Richmond Enquirer
We happen to know that Senator Sumner i
not Know Nothing" in any sense of tn,
word. He is not member of the order o
"know Nothings" or '.United Americans,
and has no sympathy with their proscriptivt
principles. He is the friend of the largest lib
| erty" for natives and foreigners, Protestants
and Catholics, whites and blacks. We cal
| upon the enquirer to correct this miSstatement
for which it had no reliable authority, but which
| we doubt not it has taken for granted or adopt
ed from the loose and reckless assertion of some
| Southern demagogue. The editors of that Jour
nal have too much oandor and selfrespect to
| persist in upholding an injurious statement,
| even though the sufferer be hated Abolition
! list.
In this connection, we will refresh the recol-
lection of the editors Of the Enquirer by copy
| ing from the Congressional GiObe, first session
Of the Thirty third Congress, the yeas and nays
on Clayton's amendment to the Nebraska bill.
They will find them on page $40, as follows:
Mr.. Clayton moved to amend by striking
out, Ill the provision comforting the right Of
suffrage and holding office, these words
And those who shall have declared on
| oath their intention TO become such and shall
have taken an oath to support the Constitution
OF the United States, and the provisions Of this
act.
. So that it shall read:
"PrOcided, That the right of suffrage and of
holding office shall be exercised only. by citi-
zenS of the United States"
Mr.. Seward called for the yeas and ways and
they were ordered. After debate, in which
Messrs. Walker, Petit Adams, and Chase took
part, the question was taken by yeas and nays
on the amendment with the following result:
Z" Ieas-Messrs. Adams Atctison, Badger
Bell, benjamin. Broihead, Broom, Butlcr, Ctay
Clayton, Dawson, Dixon, ErdRs, F;tzputrick,
Houston, HUNTER, Johnson, Jones of Tennes
see, MASON, Morton, Pratt, Sebastian, and
.Siidell-23
"Ndys-Messrs. CHASE, Dodge of Wiscon-
sin, Dodge of Iowa, Douglas. FESSENDEN,
FISH, FOOT, Gwin, HAMLIN. Jones of Iowa
Norris. Petit, SEWARD. Shields, Smith. Stew.
art, SUMNER, Toucey, WADE, Walker, and
Williams-2l.
so it was agreed to-
The editors of the Enqairer will perceive, in
the above list of yeas and nays, that not only
Mr.. Sumner, but all the Republican and Anti
Slavery Senators, voted against the proscriptive
Know Nothing amendment Of Mr.. Clayton, who
then was, as he is yet, a leader of the Know
Nothing party, and placed his amendment on
strictly Know Nothing grounds. They will also
observe that Messrs. Mason and Huate, of Vir-
GINA, with every Southern Democratic Senator,
voted for the proscriptive amendment, along
side of Messrs Clayton, Houston, Adams, Bell,
&c. At that period, the Virginia Senators were
not whit behind the Know Nothings in their
contemptuous disregard of the rights of foreign
ers; and If their views are in any degree liber-
allied, their change is attributable to the strait
IN which the Administration has placed itself
by enacting the Nebraska bill, and the conse-
quent demand upon its friends to enlarge the
pale Of their sympathes.
In reference to the same gentleman, the En-
QaireT further remarks:
Then the Senator would have cratiied his
hate, and ruined New England, for New Eng
land wealth and prosperity depend on Southern
trade. The capitalists would quit, because
capital would find no profitable employment
or investment. The laboring class would quit,
because they are too proud to be underbid by
negroes, or to work side by side with them.
lie knows that the policy and practice of
welcoming runaway negroes, if successfully per
severed in, will ruin the North, or to speak more
accurately, the laboring white men of the North.
IHey would have to quit their homes, and mi
CRATE to the far West, where no negro compe-
titon had reduced the wages of labor to the
minimum that would supply negro wants and
necessities, and which would be wholly insult
ticient for the white man."
The allegation of hatred to the South as the
moving principle of Senator Sumner is alto
gether gratuitous. He has never avowed anv
such sentiments, and never given vent to coarse
invective against that section of the Union,
either IN his speeches in the Senate or in his
addresses to his constituents. We think it will
puzzle the editors OF the Enquirer to find
single passage, in the speeches, orations, or
other writings, of the Massachusetts Senator.
which can be fairly set down to the account of
sectional hatred. Our personal acquaintance
with INN warrants US in saying that no such
narrowness and Ettleness enters into his ma
ture. Indeed, spirit of broad catholicity and
nationality is the distinguishing trait of the
Republican or Anti-Slavery leaders. There
are no gentlemen of any other party whose
speeches will compare with those of Messrs
Seward, Chase, and Sumner, in point of dignity
decorum, and freedom from all coarseness. vnI.
garlty, and naTOwness, whether on sectional or
party grounds. We challenge the Eag,,irer
too, to point to single vote given by either of
these gentlemen, which is indicative of illibe-
rality to the South. No such vote can be
found on the record.
Sectional hatred is plant of Southern origin.
1t is an exotic north of Mason and Dixons line.
and can only survive in hot-bed. 1t is not
| peculiar to the South because the Southern ma
ture Is narrow and illiberal, but because South
ern men have placed themselves in a false
posltion-ln the position of defenders of the
wrong. The advocates Of error and wrong
must needs be intolerant and proscriptive.
| They have no other arguments. Reason is on
the side of their opponents, and they must
ground arms, or resort to buster and violence.
We must call attention to another notable
statement in the fruitful text furnished by the
Enquirer. The editors allege, that if the fugi-
lives from Slavery continually find a home in
the free States, they will eventually drive out
the white laborers, Cor; say they, the laboring
class would quit, because they are too proud to