New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-27

mend what is going on in Kansas to the especisl
appreciation OF any intelligent lover Of Liberty.
While the subject of appointing Committee 10
investigate and report upon the outrage committed
| on Senator Sum- er was before the House of Rep
resentstive., Brooks and Kett undertook to antici
pate the proceedings a little by some volunteer
statements, which statements Brooks had the i'm
pudence to make upon his honor-the honor, that
is, OF brutsl bully, whose respect for veraciy is,
no doubt. on par with his other graces
There are, however, we must take the liberty 70
suggest, some pretty serious objections to the re-
cepton Of this sort Of testimony Everybody
! knows the kind Of statements by which Mr.. Her
bert's friends converted, in the impartial eyes OF
Judge Crawford uilful murder into an act Of
self defense. In all matters in which the peculiar
manners ard morals of slavehOldiDg are involved,
especially in all that relates to the punishment of
"insoenee the assertions Of brother shareholders,
whether made upon honor or upon osth, are to be
taken, We apprehend with some grains OF allow
snce. part Of these persons seem TO have adopted
| the creed that "a slavehOlding and slavedrvlng,
in all their branches and with all their attributes,
and the exercise of those attributes in all parts OF
the United States, are to be sustained at all haz-
ards as q constitutional privilege the end in this
case con.ecrates the means that thorOugh-going
and consistent advocate of the peculiar institution
ought to 90 the whole hog without hesitation and
no more scruple at a lie or false oath. when the
good Of the cause seems to call for it, than be does
of an assault or murder.
! There are no doubt portion Of the sayedgiSng
party not yet entirely prepared to go this length.
Even these, however, laborunder paroIism OF par
tiaity and favor,ism such disorders their senses
and di.tulbs their judgment to such degree as
somewhat to impair their reliability as witnesses.
Nay this paralysis extends even to their voluntary
muscles, ss was remarkably exhibited in the case
of number Of Southern men who alone happened
to be present in the Senate Chamber when the as
sault was made upon Mr.. Sumner and not one OF
whom, it would seem except Mr.. Crittenden, pos
sessed the slightest power to act or to speak, so
that probably Brooks, having broken his cane,
might have ended with drawing bOwie'kniie and
stakbpg his insensibe victim to the heart had not
two New-York gentlemen from distant LOBBY
come to the rescue, seized the assassin and borne
AWAY Mr.. Summers insensible and bleeding body.
Now what confident reliance, we should like to
ask, can be placed on the intellectual power TO
discern and appreheDd facts Alright, OF person
who at the time were laborDg under such evident
bodily paralysis Ii would seem that Mr. Sumner
himself who lay on the floor bleeding and insen'i-
bic, would be quite as well able to describe what
was passing at the time as Messrs. Toombs, Bright,
Pearce, Douglas and others who, during the whole
transaction, were suffering under total paralysis
of the organs of speech and motion, and, indeed
so far as appears were quite ~ insentlble to what
was going on near them Mr.. Sumner himself
Nor, indeed, do these persons however they may
have recovered the use Of their legs appear, when
the matter come up in the Senate on the appoint
ment Of a Committee Of Investigation, even then
TO have recovered the Of their tongues, at least
Oh that particular topic.
1t is not necessary, however to have recourse to
these considerations TO discredi the volunteer tes
timony of Brooks and Kett, to which We referred
a. the beginning of this article The letter of the
law is sufficient not only to dscredt but TO exclude
that testimony. The law does not regard culprit
on trial as fit witness to be heard in his own case.
man who will asssssnste, man who will take
advantage TO commit an assault upon another at a
disadvantage, may we'll be expected to lie. The
meanness of committing such an act may well be
expected to be followed by the meanness of lying,
il the hope to diminish it's enormity. The state
ment of Brooks is, that the act was wholly his own
that he had no confederates. However false this
sta,tm ent may be, Brooks had double interest to
make this interest in engrossiDg for himsefalone
all the glory ard applause which the organs in the
slavehoding interest are already heapng on the
assault Of which he wss the immediate agent-and
the interest of diminishing to certain extent the
guilt of that act in the eye Of the law by keeping
out OF sight the conspiracy 10 which it originated.
A. to Keitt, it may be supposed that he was
present as is usual on such occasions in the double
capacity of an accomplice, if his aid became neces-
sary and witness at all events; and he already
shows how swift" he is in that latter capacity by
volunteering TO testify before De is called upon
But at present he stands in the position OF q cu-
prit, and the law does not accept the testimony OF
culprts in behalf either Of Themselves or OF their
sccompices.
The recent move in the Senate of the United
. r IL a and