The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-02-18


NDAY FEBRUARY Is, Il
Mr.. Summers Oratis.-Hegre suRrags the
Whole Duty or The Walton and tho Only
Escape fron DUR Dfmeulties.
Mr.. Sumner, in his Senatorial pleading in the
case Of tho negro. has given to the country
an elaborate evidence of tho utterly impraoti-
GABLE and visionary character Of his political
views His Grafton u admirable In all purely
literary respects, and Indicates an abundant
industry and research; but its theories Of
society, ih interpretations Of the constitution
and its assumptions as to the history Of the
country and Of the war are inadmissible, ex-
cepting only what b said Of the constitutional
amendment He touches that point but little,
as H. conscious Of it, strength. he would leave
II and give bis attention to terrifying weaker
ones-going In this just contrary to the advice
Of the great orator, that the weak points should
be touched lightly, as Il they were perfectly
safe, and tho great Aght be made on those that
are really stroag.
We are assured that the sole solution Of our
present troubles and anxietlesn b 10 place the
negro on political level with the white man.
And here at the outset b . keynote TO all srgu-
ments and ell theories Everything r. bent to
this direction and distorted to harmonise with
this thought The full political equality Of the
two races Is demanded as Justice to the negro;
as an absolute necessity TO the welfare Of the
country; as an unfuidiled promise Of the
fathers Of the republic, and as requirement Of
the constitution. It Is Justice to the negro, be-
cause In bis present condition he Is Hdespoiled
Of his rights"-those natural rights alluded to
In the preamble TO the Declaration Of Independ-
ence; and 1t is an unfhlflled promise Of the
fathers because that preamble and the asser-
ton that TALL men are born free and
equal" were promises made to the negro
as part Of the people. Suspeoting that
these arguments will be deemed unsubstantial,
others are advanced Of quite different char
acter. II is declared that the constitution guar
antees negro suffrage, because 1t guarantees
republic, and that Is not a republic whore all
men are not equal; and 1t is further de-
clared TINT the suffrage is an absolute necessity
Of the times; because without 1t the abolition
Of slavery will prove to be q nullity, and the
negro cannot be maintained in his freedom;
because without 1t reconstruction cannot 60 on,
and the peace Of the country Is never safe; be-
canse 1t Is the only means to prevent the pay
ment Of the rebel debt and It's denial will lead
the way TO population and directly induce ma
Honal bankruptcy. Much Of this viii sound
extravaganza; but, as Mr.. Summers position Is
not that Of one who states with calm impair
TALLY the condition of the country, but that Of
the advocate who urges passionately the claims
OF class, we must expect this fervor And
there Il Q certain advantage In this; for, a. the
people wish to do no wrong, II b we'll that they
should have the case Of those whose welfare
they are TO determIns put before them with the
most lbrolble statement Of which that case Is
capable. 80 49,.
The arguments which regard tho suffrage AZ
ahitherto denied right and that which bases it
on the constructive promise Of the Fathers Of
the Republic are Of the same GLASS They are
foundd en the philosophical notion Of natural
rightA II was fine enough fancy which
clothed man In some primitive state with
natural right to do without restraint all that man
might desire to do, and which then supposed
that law oame and restrained him in the exer-
else Of his rights, but restrained ono man moro
than another, and that thus law was the parent
of inequality. But this was fancy merely,
and fancy Of philosophers engaged In a cru
sade against law and 1t was perniclous in 80
far a. It made law seem to be the foundation
Of innumerable wrongs. It. moreover, directly
falsiied the history Of the human race. Law
never did take away any rights, but was the
first power on the earth that gave men rights
and assured tho exercise of those rights. All
rights rest on law. Law Restraints wrong only
II displaced In the world the dominion OF IRE
sponsible force, which was the denial Of all
right except that founded on might But tho
philosophical theory was fashionable In the
world when the Declaration Of Independence
was written. II was fashionable with men
whom Jefferson admired, and It became
part OF the preamble Of the great docu-
ment 1t was, perhaps, net unnatural
that such q revolutionary theory should
become part Of that noble revolutionary pro-
gramme. And now Mr.. Sumner resting on 1t,
tells us, "our whole duty now centres In the
performance OF those sacred promises which
arc coevai with the national lfe.n But how
soi Because tho founders Of the republic
made In their platform an extravaganza state
ment, does that impose on us an insane attempt
to carry II OUT Is the Declaration Of Independ-
cnce lawi sts
Its the fault Of men Of Mr.. Summers stamp that
they do not properly distinguish between facts
and fancies-between the laws that nation must
live and die by-and those vague theories only
proper 10 amuse the elegant retirement Of the
scholar. Mr.. Sumner practically tells ms that