The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-11
MIR. DOUGLASS, VIEWS
hinaten National Ern

douglass mas an undoubted right to entertain such
views as he pleases and also an undoubted Tight TO
express them whenever and wherever he sees 1t
II may be true also that the Dominicans are a far
superior people TO the HayteI and that the Govern
ment OF Hayu, claiming to be a republic, is a
desponsm OF the most oppressive character. We
have no disposition TO underrate the extent Of Mr.
Douglass observations nor the accuracy of his CON
clusions. The latter entitled to weight with the
country, on account OF the high character OF him
who has formed them, and the Opportunities he has
had TO arrive at them.
And yet, IL MIR. Douglass is correctly reported. he
goes outside OF his legitimate duty when ne
asserts That "if Mr. Sumner shall persevere In his
present policy, shall consider his opposition fac
uous, Hnd regard him as the worst foe the colored
race has on this continent" There is much OF dog
matlsm In this assertion, and we have little doubt
but that the correspondent has drawn upon his
imagination for good portion OF it. Mr.. Summers
opportunities Tor collecting correct Information
have been quite abundant as those of Mr.
Douglass. 1t does not follow that personal inspec-
ton is always the best means of arriving just CON
official, ethnooRtcal, geographical and political
character may furnish fun as accurate data upon
which to rely, as personal visit, necessarily hur-
ried and incomplete. That Mr.. Sumner has given
the subject upon which he speaks the fullest nyes-
tigation we presume Mr. Douglass will not himself
deny. Softly and fairly then Mr. Douglass when
you traverse opinions with such an old friend as Mr..
or course Mr. Douglass has given vent 70 n,
such spteful defamation as that contained in the
stigma aflixed to Mr. Sumner as ''the worst foe the
colOred race has ON this continent" No one knows
better than Mr. Douglass how earnest and faithful
have been the efforts of the Senator in behalf OF that
race; how he has always been ia the fore front OF
the battle for popular rights; how he has ever been
the acknowledged champion OF the oppressed and
uown-trodden. MIR. Douglass cannot afford thus to
vtuperate Mr.. Sumner because he chances to hold
views different from his own, and we do not believe
he has done so. Frederick Douglass is too sensible
too logical, and too selfcOntaned thus to indulge In
an outburst of passion We shall be greatly disap-
pointed If this statement is not corrected.
But, II he has thus given expression to his feel
ings, he seems to have lost sight OF the true nature
OF Mr.. Summers argument That arqument does not
depend for its effectiveness upon the social or gov
ernmental conditions OF the people Of Hayt or Sano
Domingo. The former may be despotsm OF the
infifc
unassaied. Heyti at least, is power friendly TO us
and lnofensve to us. Our wrong is not dependent
upon her status Our ships Of war had no business
to menace her, were she under the sway OF a Bomba
Mr.. Douglass, or, as is more likely, the correspon-
dent OF the Times, seems to have overlooked this
naw in the arraignment OF Mr. Sumner; but it is
crushing to the issue made. on the whole, we do
not think that hr. Summers enemies to gain any
new laurels by this new mode OF attack.-Srdcuse
Daily Standard.
We have never had but one opinion of
Senator Sumner, and that opinion is, that he
is an honest man and sincerely devoted to
the cause of justice and to the welfare of his
fellow-men. We have never thought him
anything else. He has ever been our friend
and the friend of our despised race. We
have thought him such even in opposition to
the annexation of Santo Domingo. Never
tbeless, we cannot but consider his opposi-
ton to that measure unfortunate and inju-
rious to that part of the colored race who
live ia Santo Domingo, and, practically a
great calamity to the colored race in. the
United States. First, because it tends
to the division, defeat, and distrac
ton of the Republican party; and, secondly.
because it is an encouragement TO the
idea that no additions to the colored race
are to be made in this country. BY his man
ner of speech and by his position, he is most
effectively playing into the hands of the
Democratic party, and thus serving to
strengthen the worst enemies the colored man
has. His wise and statesman like course in
the past has given him hold on the Ameri
can people which makes his present attitude
doubly effective for evil. The fact that Sena-
tor Sumner denounces the President of the
United States as pattern of violence and
chief OF the worst class of murderers and
sssassins, will be enough with some men to
induce the belief that President Grant, even
If not guilty to the full extent of these de-
nunciations Is, to say the least, very bad
man, and no longer worthy of the love and
confidence of the American people, Even a
bad man may sometimes mislead the public
mind; but when good man does wrong, and
persists in that wrong, his very goodness and
character become elements of power in the
interest of evil. Hence we say, and have
said before, considering the glorious record
OF Senator Sumner, he is to-day practically
(not Intentionally the most dangerous and |
the most effective power now arrayed against |
what we consider the cause of our race.
Whatever else may be said of the Republican
party and of General Grant, they are now the
only visible hope of the colored race in the
United States Outside of these we she no
power that is likely to stand between the
country and rebellion, between the negro and |
murder, which is even now rsvelling In loyal
blood, and rendering the constitutional qua
rantees which Mr.. Sumner did so much to |
frame null and void. We feel strongly. and |
speak strongly, but none too strongly. The |
same principles that have made us devoted to |
Mr. Sumner, and to follow him with uuhesi-
tating step in the past, now make us cry out
against his present alarming position.
We do this, however, in no malignant
spirit, nor without hope that Mr.. SumRer
when all the facts are before him, will change |
his course. II would not be like Senator
Sumner to persist in any course he sees to be
wrong. He is great and knSws his greatness,
but he does not claim to be infallible. He
knows the members of the Santo Domingo
Commission, and knows that they are intelli-
gent, faithful, and honest men, and that they
are incapable of framing a report merely to
suit the wishes of General Grant. To say
that he will respect their testimony is simply
to accord to him common honesty. To say
less of him would be to accuse him of down
right madness, nalignity, or dishonesty. No
such things can or ought to be said of him.
We have said so much partly to set our
selves right before the public and partly be-
cause We respect the spirit of the Syracuse
which only does us justice in
doubling that we could have dealt in the bald
and unqualified dennnciation of Mr.. Sumner
to us in other quarters. We are
not in the habit of dealing in violent denun-
citation against anybody, certainly not against
one whom we have loved and honored during