The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-06-26
SENATOR SUMNER ON SLAVERY.


Brooks Senator Sumner has again addresse,
the Senate on the subject of Slavery with hi
standard lowered never an inch. In the tel
egrahic report to the Philadelphia Inquire,
Of the 4th inst; we find the following ab
stract:
Mr.. Sumner proceeded to address the Son
ate on "thr Barbarism pf Slavery Under
/ taking now. he said. after n silence Of m"ro
/ than four years TO address the Senat" on tho
important subject should suppress th" emo,
TORS natural 10 such an occasion. i ] did not
dccla,c on the threshold nv gratitude 10 that
Supreme Being, through whose benign care
am enabled, AFTER muc suffering and many
changes, once again To rpsum' my duties here
and to speak of the cause which is So near my
heart. To tho honored Commonwealth who's
representative am. and also to my inmr
date associates in this body. with whom I
enjov tic fIlow-lin which is fonnl in fjak-
'ng alike concerning the Rfpublic | owe
thanks which seize this moment to cypress.
for the Indulgence shown me lhrnug' ont the
pro'~ctod s"cluSion o. joined hy moAcal ski ;
and trust that it will not bn thought unb,-
coming IN me 10 put on record here, rs an
apology " leaving my seat so long vacant,
without making way. bv resignation Cor n
succ sSor, that acted under the allu> on of
an invalid, whose hopes for restoration To his
natural health constantly triumphed over his
disappontmerts.
Wien ! last entered into this debate il be
came my duty 10 expose the crime against
Kansas, and TO insist upon its Immediate al
SSon of that Territory rs State of this
Union, with Constitution forhidlng slavery
Time has passed, but tn, question remains.
Rosuming the discussion precisely whore
left 1t, am happy to avow that rule Of mod.
eration, which, it is said, may venture even
To fix the boundaries Of wisdom itself. I
have no personal griefS to utter; only bar
barouS cgotiSm could n,rude these into this
chamber. | have no personal wrongs to a.
yengc: oav harhar0us nature could attempt
to Weld that vengeance which bconCs TO the
Lord. TIE years that have intervened. anl
the tombs that have been opened since spoke
have their voiccs too, which cannot fail TO
hear. Besides, what am what is any man
living or among the dead, compared with the
question before us? 1t is this alone which
shall discuss, and | oren the argument with
that easy victory which | found in charity.
He then declared the crime against Kan.
sas stands fo'th in painful light. Search his.
tory, and you cannot find its parallel. The
slave tra'e Is bad; but even this enormitv is
petty; compared with the elaborate contrivance
by which, in Christian age. and within the
limits Of a Reprhlic, all forms of Constitution
al liberty were perverted; bv which a the
rights of human nature werc violotel and the
whole country WAS held trembling on the
verge ct civil war; while all this large exubcr-
ance OF wlck"dness, detestablo in itself, ba-
comes tonfoll more desabe when its oririn
is traced to the madness of slavery. Motive
is to crime as soul to body; and il is ONLY
when we comprehend the motive that W.
can truly comprehend tho crime Here tho
mott G Is 10 md in slavery. and the race for
It's extension. Therefore, bv logical necessity
must slavery be discussed: not indirectly. tim
idly, and sIaringv, but r,ctlv. openly anl
thoroughly. 1t must be exhibited rs it is
alike IN It's influence. and in il. animated char
actcr, SO that not only It's outside but its in
SHE may bc seen. This is 10 time for soft
words or excuses. All such are )ut of place.
They may turn away wrath; but what j, IN"
wra;h of man. This is no time to abandon
any advantage in the Argument. Senators
on political g,ounls only, AMI remind ms tuar
they say nothing Of the moral question -
This IS wrong. Slavery must be resisted. not
only upon political grounds but on all other
grounds, whether social. economical. or moral.
Ours is no holiday contest, nor is it any Suiie
of rival ficions-of White and Rel RlsoS. of
Theatre Nrr and Bianchi bur it is sollom
battle botwc' right and wrong, between
gool and evil. Such a battle cannot br fought
with cycTsrS or with roScwatcr There is aus
tere work t. be done. and Freedom cannot
consent to niny away any Of hr weapons.
The whole character of slavery as protein
ded form OF c,i iztfion is put directly in is
sue. with pertinaciry a ID ~ hariihool which
Danish all reserve on this side. In :hose rs
sumptions Senators from South Carolina gen.
orally take The lead. In this connection Nr.
Slmncr quoted from Senators Hammond and
Chcsnut-lrom Calhoun and McDuhia;
from Senators Davis and Brown. Of NJ ssssippi
and Senators HLntcr and Mason o' Virginia. .
Thus hn added. hv various voices is the claim
IN de for slavery. which is put forward def
antly rs n form Of cvzs,ion; rs if its exist
ence were not plainly inconsistent with he
first principles of anything that can be called
civiIizat ,on-cxcept 10y the figure of speech in
classical literature, wher, thing takes its
name from something which it has not, as
the dreadful fates were called mcrciu because
they were without mercy.
1t is natural that Senators, which insensbc
to tho true character Of slavery, should evIncc
an equal nscnsbiIity to the true character of
the Constitution. This is shown in the claim
now made aud pressed with Unprecedented
energy, degrading the work of our fathers,
that by virtue Of the Constitution the prctcn.
ded property in man is placed beyond the the
reach of Congressional al prohibition, even with.
in Congressional jurisdiction;so so that the slave
master may at all times enter the broad out
living r rritories Of the Uuion with the vie.
tins Of bis oppression, and there continue to
hold them by lash and chain.
Such are the two assumptions-the first an
assumption of fact. the second an assumption
of Constitutional law, which arc now made
without apology or hesitation. He met them I
both. In the first place he opposed tho essen
Iial barbarsm OF Slavery in all its influence.
whether high or low, as Satan is Satan sill.
whether towering in the sky or squn,lin. in ;