Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-03-15
Removal of Senator Sumner from the
Foreign Relations Committee.


sensation throughout the country, as is
quite evident from the amount and earnest
ness of the discussion it has produced. That
the continuance Of republican institutions,
or the wise administration of affairs, so lar
as the official acts Of this committee are con-
cerned, depend entirely upon the individual
that the Senate in its wisdom may deem best
to place at the head Of this committee, is not
for moment to be supposed but the puolc
having become familiar with certain name,
from its long connection with an important
service. are naturally sensitive to know the
causes which have produced change OF SO
much moment.
The political career Of Mr.. Sumner was
commenced far in advance Of his cOtempora-
ries, and though many of his opinions and
acts have been designated as g ultra and
radical - yet in the rapid progress of events
theIlast quarter of century, men who were
once active opponents of his policy, now find
themselves equally as far in advance of the
positions be then occupied, as is the govern
ment in many Of its most important meas
ures, as compared with twenty-five years
ago The people have come to look upon
Sumner as a pioneer, and he that was popular
as a leader only with the few, has become the
acknowledged favorite and statesman of the
many. He is at all events a Senator in the
highest significance of that honorable title,
and his faults are not Of a magnitude that
obscure to any visible extent his towering
strength and usefulness in the Senate and
the government He is as prominently be-
fore the public as was Stephen a. Douglass
in 1858, when removed from the chairman
ship of the Committee on Territories, by a
party that could not keep up with its states
men, and that party has not seen well day
since.
The committee appointed to nominate the
standing committees in the Senate, of which
Mr. Morrill, of Vermont was a member, but
a supporter of Mr. Sumner, having made
their report, Senator Howe moved, on Friday
last, to proceed to the election of The same.
Mr.. Wilson of Massac husetts objected, but
was overruled. Mr.. Schurz moved to post
pone further consideration until tomorrow.
But there was evident determination on both
sides, to settle the matter then and there.
Mr. Schurz demanded reason for hastily
pushing through the resolution offered by
Mr.. Howe. Mr.. Stewart in an undertone
advised Mr.. Howe not to reply to the remarks
made by Mr.. Schurz, that it was proposed to
take Senator Sumner off of the Foreign Re-
lations' Committee, of which he had been
chairman for the past ten years, and for
which position he was SO eminently fitted by
diplomatic experience. But Mr.. Howe did
answer He said in brief, that it was be-
cause the senators from Massachusetts had
on certain occasions refused to have personal
intercourse with the Secretary of State, and
that it was well known that he (Sumnerl
was not on friendly personal relations with
the President Mr. Schurz denied that Sum
ner had refused to hold official intercourse
with the Secretary of State, and Mr.. Wilson
Of Massachusetts, said it did not matter what
the social relations of senator were to a
President or Secretary of State, or to other
senators. He contrasted Sumner with Cam
eron, the proposed chairman of the commit
tee, claiming vast superiority for the former,
and made another appeal to have the matter
laid over till to- morrow. He said the hearts
Of hundreds Of thousands of honest Repub-
lcans had been wrung by the intelligence of
this action, and it should be put off until we
hear from the people of the country, who
have a right to be heard Mr. Morrill, of
Vermont thought that as all means to pre-.
vent what now seemed as inevitable had been
exhausted, it were better that vote should
be taken and the debate ended. Mr.. Schurz
said be was sorry to hear the senator say So
All means had not yet been exhausted, and
for his part, he didn't intend to give up so
easily. Now, he said, as to this propo-
sition to remove the senator from the chair
manship of this committee, what is it for &?
Not because of incapacity not for faithless-
ness, nor because he was derelict in his du-
ties, but because he is not on pleasant personal
relations with the Secretary Of State. Does
1t matter whether a senator will dine or sup
with the President or Secretary of State 4?
Should senators fawn upon and bend their
knees to members of the Executive Depart
ment? No, sir, they should have more dig
nifty and independence than that Mr..
Schurz here read paragraph in the Motley
correspondence which, he said, was aimed at
Mr.. Sumner and was gross insult to that
gentleman. = Any senator who possessed a
particle of sensitveness would have done as
the senator from Massachusetts, has done
after having been spat upon. But, sir, there
is something else at the bottom of this.
assert that the San Domingo scheme is at the
bottom Of this business -
Mr.. Trumbull said that sixteen years ago
he came into the Senate, which was a per-
petual body, and its officers seldom changed
Not more than three or four different clerks
had sat at that desk since the first meeting
of the Senate. In all the time he had been
here until now the chairman of a committee
had never been changed by his political
friends, except at his own request. This
was the first time it had been done. 1t was
removal, and nothing else could be made
of it. Has it come to this, that the compo-
sItion of the committees of this BODY are to
be determined by personal relations of the
senator with any one under heaven? He
(Trumbull) had differed with the senator
from Massachusetts, at times, and, he was
sorry to say, sometimes bitterly, but he hac
and always would insist upon justice being
done. He (Trumbull) stood by the senator
when he was struck down by the advocate
Of slavery, and he stood by him to day wher
the blow came from those who have been pu
into power as much through the instrumen
tally of the senator from Massachusetts, a
any other man living. [Applause in tn
galleries.
Mr.. Edmunds followed with a speech tend
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