Litchfield enquirer., 1856-07-17
Common Sense View.

It is commonly supposed that the entire southern press, taking the lead of the Richmond Engairer have either openly endorsed or sneakngly palated the outrage pcrpo.ratcd by Brooks upon Mir Sumner through him upon the freedom of speech Without -doubt the sentiment of refecting men at the South coincides, in some measures with the indignation now pervading the free states but its utterance s generally suppressed by the sinister influences which always interfere with the free expression of opinion in a community subjected to the domination of n slsveholding olgarchy It gives rls therefore. es. pocial pleasure to record an exceptional instance where a journal at the South has manfully broken through the trammc to which the press in that quar- ter almost universally siccunlls That instance is found in the suboincd article taken from the M,de, A~od Of June 18th, newspaper published in CIa- borne parish, Louisiana. It will bc observed that tho editor, in commenting on the unparalleled per sonal abuse which Mir. Summer has for years endured In the Senate, attributes the malice of his enemies more to "areluctant knowledge of his cool srperi ority of talent than to any real difference of opinion on principle Or in other words, it is admitted that the resort to the bludgeon deemed neccss " in consequence of their inability to meet his ar Surncnts with any other weapon:
 Our opinion is, that Brooks disgraccd him. self and brought the whole Slavery cause into more disrepute than cvcr and should be sum- marily expelled from the House. It was q stretch of chiyalry on his part for which no val id excuse can be offered. Summers offence against Butler did not deserve any phvscal csstigation, but on thc contrary was, in our estimation, taking al the circumstances past and present into account, perfectly proper, be- cause justly mcritcd We have no synpathy with the Slavery ag:tators on either silc-wc have supreme contempt for South I'll free .t- CTS and icc-vcnIiny Northern fanatics but We tio think that if ever man might be excused tor becoming dcsprratcsn the halls of lcgsla- tion, that man is Sumner
 We have read the debates in Congress for many years past, m;nutely and impurtally, and nevcr have We known any man so fouv and increasingly abused and vilifcd as this same Sumner Every dng of Southcra agitation, from Boss Douglas down 10 the smallest and most mangy face that whincs and snarIcs in tfe unprlncplcd, suck-egg train has bcca bark Ing at his heels ; but the fact has not been successfully hid, that their spite arises more from reluctant knowledge of his cool supcri- orty of talent, than any real difference of o,in- ion on principle. Dougins-than whom in our humblc opinion mere nmrnc;rlcd alid rcck. Tess agifatOr never dSgnccd the Senate cham ber-has from t.mc to tiuIe hurled at Sumner all his native and wcll-cutigat,h slang and then Og the king of E lShau.' Gen. Cas- the old broken down Prcsidcnt-Scckcr and incon- sistent Free-Soiler--has never failed to chime in with his more solid inycctiyc a,d the cho- rus has been filed to every beat and bur with the yplpiuyS of the litfIr unnlIv La,I,I poodles from the Souih-mcn who have no morc principle, nnl buf ltt!c inur, brains than the ricau slaves i tchnf of N hose claims they 50 innlc.cu<y rave md rant And final, iy, under the iniln"uce of a.l thiS. SaMncr be comes somewhat desperate and hur; at hi> conglomcrdtcd aSSa,lnutS some thundcr-boltS which Scnd them huVrg iu hurried cnurs.on and then, as last rrsurt of revenge. one 0, the manv uumh.r Sl lS upon him in the Senate chamber, iiidS ham seated al his desk. writiny unarmcd, and with great gnSo. canes him Wonderful feat , \ II is thi, tha way Soatn. ern Rights arr to bc rjudratcd Are ines, the kind of champions thc South must look t, f"r i"r defence in the Nati" ,ui Halls of I"g,s- Istion Is Il Iy such acts ot Slavsh drgradl- lion as th'S, that the Slavery of the Southerr. States of thi> free az enlightened Ul.oa is l., bc rcrTtuItcd? Gruti,n,n may ih;lk so and may rave at any ytnaa Who has the indr- pen'irncc to condemn sur! couinrt -part;cular- ly if he be n Snuilcrncr hu. We tell them that the citzeuS or thiS KaI ullic nre not to h, convinced ns to what is r'yht and what s wrong l.y Hrs. and are not to be brought tc a fnal decision hy trsse force.