Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-07-22
Hon. Arson I3urIinsame.

No man ever stood higher in the estimation of
his constituents, than did Mr.. Buringame, after
the delivery of the brave and noble speech made
by him in the House, on Saturday, June 81, on the
fendsh outrage committed by the rufian Brooks
on Sens or Sumner. The reception the gallant
young representative OF Massachusetts, met with,
his subsequent journey hOmeward, from his
immediate constituents; ovation almost
uuexampled And it was all we'll deserved, for
the valiant stand he had taken in defence of free
dom of speech and OF opinion, in the floor of
Congress. Certainly, none shared il a greater
degree than ourselves in the general feeling of
pride and glory for the position thus assumed for
old Massachusetts,, by her youngest representa-.
tive in the national councils.
Judge, then, of the disappointment we felt
when we perused the Card" signed by Messrs.
Boyce of s. c., and Bocock of Va, appended to
the published speech of the rufhan Brooks, in
which Mr.. Burlngame represented as " dis
claiming any intention to reflect upon the per-
soaaI character of Mr.. Brooks, or to impute to
him, in any respect, want of courage; but, dis
eliminating 5ets0eea the and the act to which
he was called upon to allude, he (Burlingame,)
had characterized the latter d. the act, only in
such manner as his representative duty required
him to DOR
The Boston correspondent of the New York
E0saing Post expresses probably the almost
unanimous feeling of New England in the matter,
when he says =
"Gen. Wilson and Mr.. Woodruff have act
ed best in these duelling affairs. A northern
man ought either to refuse to fight sans phrase,
- I r1tafr and how
distinction can be made between Mr.. Brooks
and his action. He ought not to be treated as
a gentleman, having placed himself out OF the
code of honor. Those whom he challenges
ought to take the ground that he is no longer
entitled to gentlemanly treatment, and they
would be supported by the duelling codes OF
Europe
1t always seemed the most surprising thing to
us, that MIR. Burlingsme did not, at the inception
of the controversy, adopt the manly, honorable,
and only consistent course of Senator Wilson, by
replying to the whole ruffian horde, when cate
ehized as TO whether he held himself responsible
for what he had said, or intended any personal
imputation upon the character of Brooks -
"rheie is my speech--interpret it for yourselves,
it expresses my sentiments near as l can utter
them. 1 thought so aen--I think so noao. /
hare no qualifications to make" As to any OBJ.
igation to resort to the barbarous and bloody
code Of duelling, it could have been summsrily
avoided by saying to the challenger. as did Gen.
Wilson
81 have never entertained or expressed, N
the Senate or elsewhere, the idea of personal
responsibility in the sense of the duellist. I
have always regarded duelling as relic of
barbsrons civilization, which the law of the
country has branded as crime. While, there
fore l religiously believe in the right of self
defence, in the broadcast sense of the Jaw of
my country. the convictions Of my whole life
alike forbid me to meet you for the purpose
indicated in your letter."
Il struck us at the time, and it strikes us now
with renewed force, from the enthusiastic unan.
unity with which this noble reply of Senator Will
son was applaudedby aHpayties at the North, that
this stand taken by Senator Wilson, was model
one, worthy of imitation by any Northern
in Congress, who might be called to account for
his course, by Southern rufians.