Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-06-13
Lawlessness in High Places.

7hc late Rruial Iyyauh pp7n Senator Sumner.
We have no disposition to multiply words
upon this pIiniul, and every way disgracclul
outrage and abuse. 1t is scarcely possible to
| say much about such u transaction, and
maintain good temper, without bridling one $
rage and just indignation to the point of alb
solute apathy The thing Is so much out of
| the ordinary course Of mluly and honorable
conduct to say nothing of gentlemanly and
| Christian courtesy, that one might almost as
! well argue against the introduction Of bull
| fgtS, gladatoral sports, or even the auto da
ics of the Roman inquisiton, as to sit down
gravcly to canvass the bearing of such oc-
currcnces upon the national character. And
if the thing could be, in any sense, regarded
| as merely accidental, or oc 'asiOnal. in Its oc-
currcnce, and one which is not likely soon
TO recur, it would no doubt be unwisc to
| dwell much upon it. Murders and assassin
| ations will always occur, more or less lrc-
/ quently, in all times, and under all govern
ments. But when before has it ever been
known in a civilized and Christian Republic,
! that these brawls and butcheries and asssas-
sinations, We're Of almost daily occurrence,
within the very walls Of its Capitol 1t
would..secm that it was time Tor us to look
about and begin sobcrly to estimate the
value of such government Yes we must
/
the more staid and ccnsiderate into the
serious calculation of the value of the gov
! ernment
The occasion Of the assault upon Mr.. Sum
ncr was conicssdly a retaliation for words
| spoken in debate, Il matter of pure privilege,
III all free governments. 1t is II thing for
which no man can he called 10 account, how
much soever it may be abused, in any civil
tribunal. The assembly where the debate
is held, is the only and final tribunal for the
determination of questions Of abuse Of this
| privilege. Even the bloody code of honor
has never deemed it consistent with its own
barbarous and sanguinary dognas, to at
| tempt to regulate and prescribe the limits
| Of this most indispensable privilege Of II free
/ government. But the lawlessness of the
/ Capitol is bringing the liberty of speech, in
debate, and of the press too, to the tyran-
nicIl and barblrOus rule of mere brute force
/ Twice in the last few months, has this been
| openly and unblushingly attempted by mem
| bcrs Of the Congress Of the nited States
| either absolutely within the walls, or in the
very purlieus OF the national Capitol. When
dld the like, or any thing similar, ever occur
before, in any free country When did it
ever occur in any Christian or civilized cpuu-
try Nay, when did it ever occur in any
country under any government. barbarous
or civilized And is it not time, high time,
for sober men, to begin to calculate the value
. OF suuh government
The truth is we have no government
There is no protection, no sure protection,
for life, liberty, property and happiness, in
such brutal, barbarous, bloody, uncivilized,
and unclristan mode Of administering the
forms of government, which in fact has
bcome literally. what the king Of Lydia said
| to Sulon, of his famous Athonian code.
| SPIDER web, to catch feeble flies, and to be
broken through, and tramplcd under foot, by
/ the stronger
Now it is probably not true, that Mr.
Sumner even abused his privilege Of debate
For if so, the persons maligned would have
| been content to trust the matter with public
| opinion, which is sure to afford speedy cor
rection Of mere abuse, and disastrous rccoii
I :" sur" to follow. rnis senator butter ana
his rcdoubtable nephew. the Hon. Mr.. Brooks, :,
know as well as any body else. They are not
simple men, whatever else we may think of
them. They understand perfectly well, that
ialschoOd and slandcr are short-livcd every
where. Aye, but truth, and such truth, as
Senator Sumner hcalcd upon the devoted head
of Senator Butler, such truth cannot be
answered and put down One may assault
and bruise and beat. even to DEATH the ut
tcrcr Of such truth. But it will rise again,
and these men feel that, and it is feeling OF
such awful distress and agony, that they can
find no relief, but in murder and assassina-
ton
These men have been 50 long accustomed to
trample under foot, all law, human and
divine, and stiile the voice of complaint, and
| to strangle the utteranccs Of sorrow, and sut-
! iering humanity, that they will not brook
either rebuke, or restraint There is no RENE
! dy,hut in civil war, or separation 1t has al
ready come to the desperate, and speedy
! choice, between two such painful altcrna-
tlvcs. And it seems strange that sober men
will not see it.
If the two sections Of this Republic cannot
be kept together, in peace and quiet,-nay,
II they cannot subsist together, short OF one
submitting to relinquish freedom Of speech,
freedom OF debate, freedom Of action, freedom
| OF thought even, then we must say the sacri-
fee is too costly. And is any man 50 base,
so much craven, very slave, that he could
esteem the Republic worth such sacrifice
Is the existence Of this Republic so indispen-
sable, that men are willing to entail slavery
of thought and feeling upon their posterity
to a thousand generations to secure it
We certain y have no disposition to create
needless alarm. We have. until this occur
renee Of Il member Of the House of Reprcsen-
tatiycs in the very Senate Chamber, in the
presence OF half II dozen Senators, with a
heavy cane, beating quit, peacc-abiding
lracc-loying Senator, till lie lay scnseless
upon the floor, weltering in his gore, and
without Resistance or rcbuke from those
other American Senators present, because
they happ ned to be Of different political
party,-ti!l this we have llhorcd to main
tain hopeful hclrt. for the future history
OF the republic. We have discountcuanced
lp 4 l,.tI
sectional agitation. as worthy of rchuke We
have never felt any personal sympathy with
senator summers peculiar theories. although
we have always respected him, as Il highly
cultivated gentleman and scholar. But, after
TINS, We may say, that it seems to us impos-
slhIe longer to doubt, that the decree has
already gone forth from the throne Of Omni-
potence, that the Rcpuhhc shall perish
But We may have given too sad II picture
o! the Towcrle>sncss OF the nation to protect
ITS representatives,, in the very Capitol, from
insult and indiGnily. 1t will afford a favor
able opportunity for the Senate Of the United
States which twenty years ago, when Web.
ster, and Clay, and Calhoun, and Wright,
and Benton, and Forsyth and u score Of
others, scarcely less august and noble Scna-
tors, occupied its seats, was, with some lust
sentiments Of national pride, held up as the
most talented, and the most diguiied dyliber.
atiye assembly in the world this occurrenc,
will certainly afford il favorable opportunity
Tor the Senate to yindicate the right of free
dom OF debate, and the personal security o.
ITS members. lt IS easy to conjecture wha
would have been the result, if such thing
could hayc occurred there in the pAlmy day,
OF its glory and strength. IT coniign punish
ment had not been speedily visited upon the
mlscreant, who presumed to invade the peae,
and order Of such body Of men, one might
safely prcnict that all its honorable members
would at once, resign and forever turn thcil
backs upon scenes OF such lawlcssncss anc
disorder
The House of Representatives, too, if thel
had any Just sens ul the onormlty Of the Of
iense, and that it was a most uuvarrantabl,
and hlgrant violation Of the privileges of tn,
/ Otlpr House. pprtuitly ,,.ulI allan. 81.