Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-03-22
senatorial Ti,ans i'm Debate.

ported the Blaine constitutional anehu-
ment Were not over well pleased with
Mr.. Summers attempts to make them
worse than Pontius PLATE, Judas and
other old misereants, and Senator Fes-
sender of Maine let out quite freely on
the subject In the debate on Friday, and
was followed by Senator Wilson in a
reply more careful, but scarcely less Sc
we're.
Senator Fessenden said he regretted as
much as Mr.. Sumner did, the necessity
of speaking again on the amendment,
but he did not intend to repeat the ar
gument which he had already made,
After replying to objections made to
the amendment by Mr., Hendricks Of In
diana, he turned again toward Mr., Sum
ner, and said he could not permit the
censure lavished upon the committee to
pass unnotiCed. Mr.. Sumner had uu-
dertaken to instruct the Senate as to the
proper method of debate. For himself
he thought that the better and more
usual method Of debate was to reply to
a preceding speaker. Another and a
very different method Of debate was by
means of a long and studied Grafton,
written in ones own study, and then
read out. This method he did not like,
and he approved highly of the rule in
the British Parliament which forbade
reading of speeches, and quoted Mcln-
tosh as having said that these written
orations exhibited nothing but power OF
argument and imagination. AS to the
personalities Of debate, Mr.. Fessenden
thought that offences OF that nature
arising in the heat of debate are very
trivial compared to the personalities
distilled Coolly and calmly in the
study, and so worded in the written
grafton that none could directly apply
them, while their intent was yet evident
to all.
Mr.. Fessenden quoted at length from
Mr. Summers denunciatiOn of the
amendment reported by the committee,
and by easy implication of the gentle
men of the committee themselves. M.
Fessenden dwelt particularly upon the
comparisons made to Pontius PLATE and
Judas Iscariot, which seemed much to
irritate him, and then remarked that he
would quote no more, but thought the
good taste and propriety of Mr.. Sum
ner's applying these flowers Of rhetoric
to his own political associates, and his
preparation of them in quiet seClusion,
remote from all Invitations of debate
might we'll be questioned. Mr.. Fessen-
den referred to the very familiar quota
tions of Mr. Sumner from Coke, Locke
and Otis, asking, when these sentences
quoted in isolation were written, how
many voters there were in England
Were all voters then? There is an eX-
clusion of class from the polls in Mas
sachusetts, simply because they can't
read, and yet they must pay taxes. The
charge of immortality and traffic had
been made by the Senator from Massa-
chusetts against the cOmmittee-agalnst
the majority of the House and Senate ;
but no man stood on the opinion Of d
heated controversialist. Mr.. Fessenden
was satisfied to stand with the press,
the people and q majority of beth hou-
ses, under the denunciation of the Sena-
tor from Massachusetts.
Mr.. Sumner replied with apparent
calmness and hauteur, reminding Mr.
Fessenden of the classical story of the
shield, upon the opposite sides of which
two travellers read different inscriptions
upon which they afterwards quarrelled
though both were right-an apt illus
tration, if the traveller for whom Mr.
Sumner stands, denounced the other as 8
villain for seeing differently from him
self
Mr.. Sumner proceeded to read from
the petition Of the colOred men, Down
ing and Douglass, and from q letter o
Gerrit Smith to himself, to show that he
was not alone in his Interpretation o
the meaning and effect Of the amend
ment he was opposing. Mr.. Sumne
said further
"Of course there is q radical differ
ence between the Senator and myself
We see opposite things when we look a
the constitution itself l cannot accep
his Interpretation. | do not believe tina
under the Constitution even as it exists
the disfranchsement of considerable
portion of fellOw-Ci is cOnsisten
with republican government. Still
further, do not believe that color cal
be qualification for an eleCtor. H
does, and here is a point Of divergence
which carries US far apart. have lis
tened to all that has been said, but tn
proposition is to me as obnoxious q
ever. | cannot see it Notwithstanding
that caste and disfranChisement on &C
count OF color are utterly irreligiOus
fagitious and unrepublican. Sir, | d.
not despair of the republic. | will not
| cannot; but if ever was disposed t.
despair it would be when listening t.
such arguments and excuses. The peO
pie are in advance of US, and will sus
tain US if we are courageous. They will
adopt any constitutional amendmen
that ought to be adopted. They vii
adopt anything that is true, just ant
noble for the protection of benefactors
! and to carry out the principles of tn
government. They will sustain any leg
islation having the same object. Thi
is what they expect. 1t is what tn
freedmen expect. 1t is what the Union
lists at the South expect. They do no
wish to be surrendered to the tende
mercies of rebels. They ask Congress +