Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-07-17

AWC00s9sW0u& QuQ lWccUIS-uCcs
Nothing short Of the acumen Of Philadelphia
lawyer can discover the difference between the In.
suit put upon Congress and the nation by the des.
ecrstion Of the Capitol, in the cases Of the Bon.
Charles Sumner and the Hon. s. ID. Hubbard
One was from Massachusetts, the other from Con.
necticut; both New England men One was
Senator, the other an ex-M. O., and, at the time,
the Postmaster General of the United States, and a
member of the Presidents Cabinet One was as-
sailed by member Of Congress from South Caro-.
lima; the other by member of Congress from
New York. Col. Brooks assailed Mr. Sumner for
having published, as well as uttered, SANDER
upon his State, and on a venerable and revered
reative--for a libel that had been printed before
the delivery of Mr.. Summers speech
Mr.. Briggs assailed Mr. Hubbard, because the
latter, in discharge Of his official duties, when Ia
his Department--the General Post 0fice--had, as
alleged, in rude manner, refused to take into con-
sideration some proposition made by the bon. Mr.
Briggs Mr.. Sumner had been assailed for bad
morals; Mr. Hubbard for bud manners. Shortly
after their interview In the Post Office Department
business took Mr. Hubbard to the House of Rep.
resentatives when in session. Mr.. Briggs followed
Mr.. Hubbard out Of the representative hail. over
taking him near its door, there assailed him; but
without doing him any serious bodily harm. Mr.
Sumner assaied in its chamber, after the adj
jonrnment Of the Senate, and was severely beaten
by Colonel Brooks. In this there was difference
between the two cases but not, in itself sufficient
to justify the different manner in which they have
been treated
Both were mere personal affairs. The libel, as
printed, 1--WE learn the authority of Senator Ben
jamin,) was uttered in the Senate; the other Of
fence was given in the Postmaster Generals room
In his official Department. The one assault was
made on the premises Of the Senate, the other on
those Of the HOUSE of Representatives. Both were
made in the Capitol during the annual session of
Congress
No notice whatsoever was taken by Congress, or
BY any political body or functionary mo move.
ment anywhere, Of the assault upon Mr.. Hubbard,
excepting that the Grand Jury of the District of
Columbia, as in duty bound, presented Mr.. Briggs
for the assault, for which he was tried and was
sentenced by the Criminal Judge to pay fine of
ten dollars. In like manner, COL Brooks was pre-
| sented by the Grand Jury, and was sentenced by
the same Judge to pay fine of $300l That
Judge is the highly-esteemed Hon. t. Hartley
| Crawford, formerly member of Congress from
Pennsylvania. His residence was near that of his
| friend, the Hon. James Buchanan, now the repre-
sentative of the Cincinnati platform and of the acts
of President Pierces administration. II is TO be
| apprehended that even OH the Bench political SYM
pathy had its bias Poor Mr.. Buchanan his /" suf.
erings is intclerabe," losing his Irish support by
/ the rash act of his Democratic friend the Hon P
| L. Herbert, and that OF the Democracy of the
North by the other rash act of his Democratic
friend, Col Brooks; suffering too from the ALI
ance of the Van Burens, kindred "Northern men
with Southern principles" Such principles! the
Van Buren, principles and the backing OF such
| friends! Worse than poor Falstaff-" Deliver me
| from such friends say l." Mr. Crawford, as the
friend of Mr. Buchanan, must not be too tender,
In the public eye, on his political friend Col Brooks
And because the fine was not larger, some of
Mr. Summers peculiar friends, the ctcouragers of
| bloodshed, would remove the seat of government
Because, too, OF the acts of Mr.. Buchanan's Demo-
cratic friends, Brooks, Herbert, and Crawford, all
coming to Washington from other sections of tho
country!
Sympathy with political freethinkers on one side
and with suffering Democracy on the other-wth
Mr.. sumner, and not with Mr.. Hubbard has
probably, in these cases. been the means OF defeat
ing the ends of ,JusrIcr