Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-04-11
SENATOR SUMNER.
His Removal Viudicated-An Important Letter
from Senator Howe 20 the Golden Age"

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WATHINGToN March %, III.
Mr.. THEODORE TILToN,
Dear Sir II do not know precise
" what your idea of "Golden Age
may be. | subscribed to your news
paper because | wished to know
But | assumed that you held trutl
to be a characteristic of such an age
and that you meant to inform, an(
not to misinform, your readers
Therefore | venture TO call your at
tention, and that Of the public, to al
editorial in The Golden Age of tn,
18th inst, headed "The Assault OF
Mr.. Sumner" / notice your article
instead of any other on the same sub
Ject, not because yours is better oil
worse than others, but simply be-
cause Free Lance, as you are, in the
field of polemics, is under no sort Of
obligation, partisan or sectarian, to
mlsrepresent. If, therefore, you dc
not tell the truth at any time, il
must be either because you do not
know it, or because you do not choose
to tell 1T. l assume that the former
is the true reason, aud not the latter
that you would tell the truth, il
you knew it, and so l give it you.
AT the opening of the present ses-
SION of Congress, the Senate, as has
been its usage since the foundation
Of the Government, made several
changes in its Standing Committees.
The Chairman of the Committee on
Mines and Mining was transferred to
the head of The Committee on Public
Lands. The Chairman of the Com
mittee on Manufactures was trans
ferred to the head of the Committee
on Agriculture. The Chairman of
the Committee on Appropria tons
was transferred to the head of the
Committee on the Library. 1t was
proposed to transfer the Chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Relations
to the head Of the Committee on
Privileges and Elections. So far as
can learn, both you and the public
are content with all these changes,
except the last. To the last, you
and many others object. To that,
these three objections are mainly
urged: First, That the change was
made to punish Mr.. Sumner. Second,
That it was made to punish him for
his opposition to the annexation of
San Domingo. Third, That Presi-
dent Grant dictated the punishment.
Allow me to assure you that each
OF these assumptions is wholly
groundless. Allow me to convince
you of it. Mr.. Sumner has not been
punished at all. To deprive man
OF an office is not necessarily to pun
ish him. Much less is it a punish
ment not to confer an office upon a
man. Least of all is IL n nnnisnment
to confer upon a man one Office in
stead Of another of no greater digni-
ty or emolument. This last was the
extent of the Senate's offending
against Mr.. Sumner. He was not
removed from an Office. He was not
denied an office. He was simply as
signed to the post of Chairman of
Privileges and Elections, instead of
that on Foreign Relations.
This does not authorize you to re-
present that Mr.I Sumner was pun
ished. Still less does it authorize
you to say he was "struck down."
But when you go far beyond either
of these expressions to characterize
this simple act as q second assassina
tion," distinguished from the memor.
able and brutal personal assault of
NJ. Brooks only by "refinement of
cruelty" | submit that you owe an
apology, not to the Senate whose de-
liberate action you malign, not to
the people whose understandings you
abuse, but to the English language,
whose. hoiest prerogative you betray.
You assume that the latter is the
most important committee of the
Senate. You have no authority in
law or in reason for that position.
1t is no more important than the
Committee on Finance, or than that
on the judiciary. And there can be
no more important Committee in any
parliamentary body, than that to
which is committed the elections of
its members and the privileges of the
body itself. For all of these reasons
/ insist that you are wholly mistak-
en- in supposing that the transfer of
Mr.. Sumner was an assault upon
him." And you are equally mis-
taken in supposing that the trans
fer was caused by his opposition to
the annexation of Santo Domingo.
1t is quite in accord with parlia-
mentary usage that committees
should be formed so as to reflect
what may be the fixed ideas of the
body upon subjects to be submitted
to their consideration. But it is not
certain Mr.. Sumner could have been
left off the Committee on Foreign
Relations upon that ground. 1t is
not certain that a majority of the
Senate in favor of requiring Santo
Domingo. 1t is certain that no at
tempt was made to leave him off for
that reason. 1t is certain that bis
opinions upon the Dominican ques-
ton were not urged against him.
They were not urged in the Senate
as.you know. They were not urg
ed elsewhere, so far as l know. Be
sides you know very well that Mr.
Sumner had opposed annexation
long prior to last December. Ye
he was then placed upon the Com
mittee in spite of that opposition
You know that other Senators be
sides Mr.. Sumner have opposed an
nexation with equal steadfastnes
and yet no one ofthem has been mo
Tested.
1t is to be presumed that our Min
listers to China and Japan are bot
opposed to paganism. If it shoul'
be found that the former hated pa
ganism SO violently that he woul
not see the Emperor at all, an,
would spit in the face of Mandarin
4 L. \