Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-06-07
THE GREAT SPEECH OF MIR. SUMNER,
Senator from Massachusetts,, delivered in the
Senate of the United States, May Goth, 1856:


Senator from Massachusetts,, delivered in the
Senate of the United States, May Goth, 1856 /:
| e8 CONTINUED.
I 1t only remains, under this head, that 1 should
speak Of the Apology Infamous; founded ON
pauX, and assumptions of duty more false than
the testimone. Defying Truth and hooking De-
scency, this Apology axcels all others in futlity
aud audacity, while, from its utter hollowness, it
proves the utter impotence OF the conspirators
to deferd their crime. Falsehood, Away s infd-
nous, in this arouses peculiar scorn. An
association OF sincere bcnevoence, faithful to
the Constitution and laws, whose only fortifca-
tons are hotels, school houses and churches |;
whose only weapons are saw-mills, tools and
books; whose mission is peace and good will,
has been falsely assaled on this floor, and an
errand of blameless virtue has been made the
pretext for an objectionable crime. Nay, more
the innocent are sacrificed, and the guilty set
at liberty. They who seek to do the mission of
the Savior are scourged and crucifed, while the
murderer, Barabbas, with the sympathy OF the
chief priests, goes at large. Wero to take
council of my own feelings, should dismiss this
whole apology to the inetfable contempt which it
deserves; but it has been made to play such a
part in this conspiracy, that ] feel it a
duty to expose it compietely. Sir, from the ear
hest times men have recognized the advantages
of organization, effective agency in pro-
noting peace or war. Especially at this moment
there Is no interest, public or private, high or
low, of charity trade, Of luxury conve-
nience, which does not seek its aid Men organ
ize to rear churches and to sell thread; to build
schools and TO sail ships: to construct roads and
manufacture toys; to spin cotton and to print
books: to weave cloths and to quicken harvests;
t. provide food and to distribute light to inlu-
ence Pubic Opinion and to secure votes; to
guard infancy in its weakness, old age in its de-
cripitulc, and womanhood in its Indebtedness ;
and row, in all large towns, when death has
come, they are buried by organized societies !;
AMI. emirrants to another world, they lie down
in pleasant places, adorned by organized skill.
To complain that this prevailing principle has
been applied to living emigration, is to'complain
Of Providence and the irresistible tendencies
implanted in man.
But this application Of the principle is no re-
cent invention, brought forth for an existing
emergency. 1t has the best stamp of Antiquity.
1t showed itself in the brig htest days of Greece,
where colOnistS moved in organized bands. 1t
became part of the mature policy of Rome,
where bodies Of men were constituted expressly
for this purpose, t1unriri I'D cOtonOs deducendOs
-[Lev. xxxvii, : 46 Naturally it has be'n ac-
cepted in modern times by every civilized state.
With the sanction of Spain, an association of
Gcnose merchants first introduced slaves to the
continent. With the sanction of France, the So
cietv IF Jesuits stretched their labOrs over Can
ada and the great lakes Of the Mississippi. 1t
WAS under the auspices of the Emisrant Aid
Companies that our country was originally set
| tied, by the Pilgrim Fathers of Plymouth, by the
adventures of Virginia, and by the philanthro
pic Ogethorpe, whose ''benevolence Of soul,
COMMUNICATED by Pope, sought to plant Free
state in Georgia. At this day, such associations
Of humber character, are found in Europe,
with officers in the great capitals, through whose
activity emf rants are directed here. For a long
time, emf grafton to the west, from the Northern
and Middle states, but particularly from New
England, had been of marked significance. Iu
quest of better homes, annually it has pressed
to the unsettled lands, in numbers to be counted
by tens of thousands; but this has been done
heretofore with little knowledge and without
guide or counsel. Finally, when. by the estab
l:shmcnt of Government in Kansas, the tempt
ing fields of that central region Were open to the
competition of peaceful colonization, and espe-
cially when it declared that the question of
freedom or slavery there to be determined
by the votes of actual settlers, then at once
organization enlisted as an effective agency in
quick,ning and conducting the emigration i'm
PEELED rhither, and, more than all, in providing
homes for it on arrival there. The Company
was first constituted under an act of the Legsla-
ture of Massachusetts, 4th of May, 1854, some
weeks prior to the passage of the Nebraska bill.
The orig inal act Of Incorporation, was subso
Quently abandoned, and Il new charter received
in February, 1855, in which the objects of the
society thus declared:
'sFor the purposes of directing emigration
westward and aiding in providing accommoda-
tons for the emigrants after arriving at their
place of destination"
At any other moment, an association for these
purposes woald have taken its place by general
consent, among the philanthropc experiments of
the age; but crime is always suspicious, and
shakes, like sick man, merely at the pointing of
a finger. The conspirators against Freedom in
Kansas now shook with tremor, real or affected.
Their wicked plot was about to fail. To help
themselves, they denounced the Emigrans Aid
Company and their denunciations. after finding
an echo in the President have been repeated,
with much particularly on this floor, in the
formal report of your committee. The falsehc Cd
of the whole accusation will appear in llustra-
tive specimens. a charter is set out, secti on by
section, which, though originally granted, was
subsequently abandoned, and is not in reality the
charter of the Company, but is materially unlike
IT. The Company is represented as ''a powerful
corporation, with II capital Of five millions -
when, by its actual character it is not allowed to
hold property above one million, and, in point of
fact, its capital has not exceeded $70O,000.-
Then, again, it is suggested, if not alleged. that
this enormous capital, which have already said
does not exist, is invested in ''capnon and rifles,
powder and lead, and implements of war''-all
of which, whether alleged or suggested, is abso-
lutely false. The officers of the Company au-
thorize me to give to this whole pretension point
blank denial. All these allegations are Of small
Importance, and [ mention them only because
they show the character of the report. But these
are all capped by the unblushng assertion that
the proceedings Of the Company were in ''per-
version of the plain provisions of an act of
Congress: and also, another unblushing asscr-
ton, as ''certain and undeniabe," that the Com
parry was formed 10 promote certain objects,
regardless of the rights and wishes Of the peo-
pie as guaranteed by the Constitution of the
United States and secured by their organic law -
when 1t is certain and undeniable that the COM
pany has done nothing in perversion of anv act
OF Congress, while to the extent of its power it
has sought to protect the rights and wishes of the
actual people in the Territory. Sir, this Com
pany has violated in no respect the Constitution
or laws Of the land not in the severeSt letter or
the slightest spirit. But every other imputation
Is equally baseess. 1t is true, a, the s. ma tor
from Illinois has alleged, in order in some way
to compromise the Company. that it was informed
before the public of the date fixed for the cleo
ton of the Legislature.
This statement is pronounced by the Secretary
IN letter now before me, san unqualified false
hood, not having even the shadow OF shade of
truth for it's baSis.'' 1t is not true that men
hive been hired by th> Company to 60 to Kansas:
for every emigrant who has gone under its aus
piceS, has himself provided the means of his
Journey. OF course, sir, it is not true, as has
been complained by the Senator from South
Carolina, with that procvty to error which
marks all his utterances, that men have been
sent by the Company ''with one uniform gun,
Sharps rifle" for it has supplied no arms of
any Kind to anybody. 1t is not true that the
Company has encouraged any fanatical aggression
upon the people of Missouri; for it has counsel