Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-03-20
From the New York Herald.I
Satan and Sancho Panza Combined in
Congress.

The absurd speech of Mr.. Thad Stevens
in Congress last Saturday reads like a chan
ter from the famous novel of Cervantes. MIR.
Stevens Is the SanchO Panza of the radical
faction, as Senator Sumner is the Don Ouixote.
Although these Two representatives travel the
same road in company, their peculiaritcs arc
essentially different. Sumner is the knight;
Stevens is the esquire. Sumner looks upon
the negro race as II cOlorcd Du!cinca to tie re-
lIeved while Stevens trudges along with am
eye 10 tun and frOlic, and. a mouth ever Omen
for the leaves and fishes Sumner is ruth err
moody and melancholy; much study OF old
books has made him mad; he renders himself
ridiculous by attempting to carry out impracti
cable theories III this practical wOrkaday aye
Stevens has studied nothing but men, and
only falls In with his masters chivalrc notions
when they promise to lead to good fare and
tat o1hces. Sumner is ambitious Of becoming
the champion OF the most ultra interpretations
OF the great principles of liberty, fraternity
aud equality. Stevens signs only for creature
comforts and remuneratIve patronage, and
cares more for the next election than for auv
abstract principle ever enumerated. The one
is lunatic philosopher, and we pity him
while we laugh at him. The otheris a shrewd
unscrupul us politician, full of broad humor
and fond of jokes, aud we are equally ready
body or being soundly thrashed.
The Congressional Dou Quixote and Sancho
Panza might jog along together in appropriate
companionship, causing mirth in ali observers
and happening upon all sorts of ludicrious adj
ventures, without the slightest objection from
any quarter, if it were not for the fact that
Stevens, unlike his great original, has Il sp ce
OF Satan IN his composition. Don OuiXOte
Sumner is safe enough in the Senate Dix
on, DOOlittl.', COwan and a score Of other
s'nslble men are there Watching him. and
they will prevent him from doing harm to the
country by his fantastic performances. Then.
If the worst comes to the worst, President
johnson can Interfere and uuhorse this theo-
retical knight, this incarnated anachronism
with n veto message. that sends him sprawl
ing In the mud even while he is shouting the
battle cry of negro equality But Sancho
Panza Stevens, with majority of the House
OF Representatives obedient to all his whims
is not altogether laughable. There is streak
of deviltry in some of his proceedings which
merits decided rebuke
His speech last Saturday, for example is
capital as mere piece of humor; but when we
consider that through the subservient good
nature OF Congress he was allowed to put upon
official record the vilest copperhead SANDERS
against the President, and when we also re-
member that all his arrant ialsehoods, humor-
GUS as they were when delivered in the
HOu.e, are calculated and designed to deceive
the Pennsylvania Dutch voters-when trans
lated into German and circulated as u campaign
document, we at once see the forked tail Of Sa-
tan emerging from the rear of Sancho Panzn's
doublet. Nor are the marks of the Satanic
presence less evident in the new scheme for
subjugating the Southern States recently
adopted by Stevens and his friends. The
theory of Don Quixote Sumner in regard to
the dead States and territorial governments
seems to be abandoned by Sancho Panza as
fiat, stale and unpro6tab e; and it is now pro-
posed to hold negro conventions at the South,
elect negro delegates to Congress, and admit
them in defiance of the President and of pub
lie sentiment. The idea OF negro represen-
tatives first satirically preached in these col
umns, is quite seriously adopted by the radi-
Gals. They are determined to act as the
French Convention did in relation to St. Do
mingo, and their course can produce only SIM
liar results.