The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1856-05-31

me american Party meets at Elkton on Tues
day the 10th Of June-not THURSDAY as last
week printed.
DISMISSAL or TIE BRIrlsu MlNIsTER.-
The President has furnished Mr.. Crampton
the British Minister at Washington with his
passports, and no further Communication
will he held with him. This grows out of
his violation of the laws of tins country in
the enlistment case, and the refusal of the
British Government to recall him on that
account. Mr. Champion has proved himself
unworthy of the post he has held in other
respects The question of veracity bctwixt
Inn and Mr.. Clayton has, by abundant tcsti-
mony. been decided in favor Of the latter and
there is little doubt that the discussion be-
tween the two countries on the Central
American Question has been prolonged and
rendered more complicated by Mr.. Champions
misrepresentation The British Consuls at
New York, Philadelphia and Cincinnati have
also been dismissed.
1t is supposed that this step on the part of
our Administration will lead to the dismissal
OF Mr. Dallas, and that for time intercourse
between the two governments will be sus-
pended. Whether any event more serious
will grow ont of the affair IT mains to be Seem
- 900 -
TIE GAMING OF MIR. SUMNER BY Mr.
BKooKs.-Our paper last week contained an
account of an outrage committed in the
Senate Chamber of the United States on the
person Of Charles Summer, Senator from
Massachusetts, by Preston S. Brooks, Mem
her oft House from South Carolina. The
facts are that for words uttered by Mr.. s. in
aspecch in his place in the Senate, Mr.. B.
entered the Chamber after the Senate had
adjourned and while Mr.. S. was sitting at
his desk engaged IN writing, attacked him
with a cane and bear him senseless to the
floor without having afforded him any chance
to defend himself.
1t is alleged that words spoken by Mr..
Sumner wcIe highly abusive of South Caro-.
lima and personally offensive to Senator
Butler of that State, ofwhom Mr.. Brooks is
relative. We propose to admit all that.
We propose to admit that Mr.. Summer is a
mcddlcsome, offensive and abusive dema.
gogue, purposcy, for his own selfish and
evil designs and political prcfcrmcnt, casting
opprobrium upon portion of the people of
this country and wilfully disturbing and
cndangerins the peace and very existence of
the Union. Granting all this; still for the
sake of our duty to the limited number of
readers to whom as a county paper we are
privileged to speak, we are bound to denounce
the conduct of Mr. Brooks in the most decided
terms. We conceive it to be all outrage of
the gravcst character. If in this country
Senator cannot, in his place, say ,rtat the
rules Of the Senate permit him to SAY without
suhjccting himself to such an attack, the
liberty of speech and the right to discuss
public questions is fable and lie in the
land. If the mouths of men in our highest
council are to be closed by the fear of brutal
personal castigation, anarchy has come and
the show oflogislatlve dcliberation is farce.
And if this state of affairs be not conceded
then it at once behoves Congress, in both it's
branches, to assert its dignity, its p over, and
jthe privileges Of its members. Expulsion,
Imprisonment. tinc-thcse punishments, we
conceive, do not more than equal the atone
ment demanded.
The fact that it grew out of the "nieger''
question should have no bearing in the case.
1t is naked case Of a Senator beaten to the
floor i'll the Senate chamber for words spoken
i'll debate under shc rules of the Senate. If
this be allowed to pass, soon we may have
Senators attacked and beaten because they
voted this way or that, thereby thwarting
the claims or schemes of some political or
spols grabbing bully. If there be law and
pow Ell i'll the land we call that it be exerted
to protect our highest and dearest rights.
Let it be understood we consider this ques-
tion as Invested Of its Northern or Southern
bearing. lntIinscally it is no question of
North or South, however it arose. Such an
attack on any Senator, by any individual, for
any words spoken i'll debate on any question
Is high crime against the country and
ought to meet with commensurate punish
ment. We do not undertake to say that
Senators are not to b. held accountable for
the use of unwarrantable and personally
offensive language, but we do emphatically
say that the Senate Chamber must be guard.
ed against such outrageous ntrusions, OR the
government is not fit to be maintained.
We make no reference to the scandalous
position in which Our country is placed befor,
other nations, nor to the advantage and I'M
pulse given to Northern fanatics by the dis
crcditable affair. Those results, serious as
they are, are of little consequence compared
with the grievous wrong of the act. How
much better for the South if the cutting re.
marks of Mr. Mason and the severe rcbuke by
General Cass had been the only notice taken
of Summers speech.
LATER FOREIGN NEwS-.The stoomor Af