National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-03-31
The Sumner Difficulty.

The excitement IN regard to the re
moval Of Senator Sumner, of Mass. from
the Chairmanship of the Committee OF
Foreign Relations, eliminated, when il
was reported that majority Of the Re
publican members had decided in caucus
to accept the report of the Sub-Com
mittee recommending the change
When the report was read making Mr.
Cameron Chairman of the Foreign Rela.
tons Committee, and Mr.. Sumner Chair.
man of the new Committee on Privileges
and El actions, Mr.. Sumner, after dig
nified speech, giving his reasons for his
actions, withdrew from the caucus A
very warm debate ensued on the report
OF the Committee, participated in by
Messrs. Sherman Shurz, Logan, Wilson,
Fenton, Ferry, and others, in opposi-
ton, and by Messrs. Conkling, Nye,
Stewart, Howe, Carpenter, Edmunds,
and others, in favor of the report.
The Senators who favor the report of
the Committee professed to do so out of
no opposition to Mr.. Sumner personally,
and disclaimcd that success of the Santo
Domingo project had anything whatever
to do with it. They said, however, that
very important questions would be sub
mltted to this Committee, and that it
would be very embarrassing to have as
It's Chairman one whom neither the
President, nor the Secretary or Assistant
Secretary of State could have any COM
munication. They argued that the sue
cess OF the negotiations now in progress
between the representatives OF Great
Britain and the United States, would b
endangered by such state of affairs.
Those who opposed the report held,
on the other hand, that the quarrel be-
tween Mr.. Summer and the President
and Secretary of State was personal
one, and while they blamed Mr.. Summer
for many things he has done, they did not
think there was sufficient cause for the
party or the Senate to take mp the disa-
greement and make it the basis of any
action. Mr.. Fenton characterized the
proposition as a "grave mistake, and
MIR. Wilson predicted disaster to the
party if it was carried ont. He referred
to the time when Stephen A. Douglas
was removed from the Chairmanship of
the Territorial Committee, because he
disagreed with the President, and re-
minded Senators that from that action
was to be dated the split in the Demo-
cratic party. He assured Senators that
their proposed action would bring down
on them the Indignant protests of thous-
ands of the oldest and strongest Republi-
cans of the country, including the old
phalanx, the members of
which, unable to appreciate the embar-
referred to by the other side,
would be in full sympathy with Mr.. Sum-
ner, and would ut least, ii this change |
vas made, lose heart in future, and fail |
o work for the party and the cause, us
hey have done before. Others argued |
hat no Administration ever made a
greater mistake than this, when it pro-
'osed to strengthen itself by removing
Mr. Summer out of its path.
Mr.. Hamilton, whom it was proposed |
o place on the Committee to make up
is quota, declined, and Mr. Frellnghuy-
en- was then selected Mr. Wilson
moved to recommit the report, with in
tructions to restore Mr. Summers name
o the Chairmanship, and was voted
lown by &c Nays to q Yeas.