The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-31
SOME NEGLECTED. QUESTIONS

From than Y. Times
In the ordinary courso-of nature, the public
will have had surfeit OF San DonaingcAbefore
long, and Senators Sumner and Schurz are
doing their best to hasten ihat happy day.
/ OF course, these Senators would very soon
find another anvil Gu which to hammer
away at the Presidentif San Domingo failed
them; but anything would be welcome Cor a
change. How many people in the, ccnntry
had the patience to read MIR. Sumaers enor-
nous ''oration' straigha through? Life is too
short for such feats. Everything now done
by Mr.. Sumner is, on prodigious, scale His
recent productions ars like that famous life of
Burleigh, concerning which Lord Macaulay
| said:-'' Compared with the labor of reading
| through this work, all other lsbOr, the labor
| of thieves on, the tread-mill, of children in
| factories, of negroes in suga., plantations, is
| an agreeable reoreation." And again the
critic remarkeds-"On evezy subject which
| the professor discusses ha produces thxee
times as many pages as another man, and one
of his pages is as tedious as another mans
| three" If anybody says that these res marks
cannot fairly be applied to Summers STYLE
let that person read the Senator'S great
effort" on San DomiAgo, without skipping,
and then give us his revised opinion
We believe that the generality of people
are sick and tired Of these endless 'tefforts"
on the San Domingo question, and would not
be sorry to hear that the island had been
swallowed up by an earthquake, so that it
ceased to be an obstruction to all other
public business. President Grant has taken
the pains to make himself acquainted with
the true facts about San Domingo, and he
has formed an honest opinion that the aequi-
sition of the island would be a great adyan-
tage to the United States The opposition
which he has encountered in this idea has
doubtless strengthened his determination to
carry it out, for tenacity of purpose has always
been one of General Grants best quail.
ties. Still, it is not a quality which can
invariably be depended on in the field OF
statesmanship, and since Mr. Sumner and his
friends are making all this to-do about San
Domipgo-and let us never forget that the
same Senator Sumner produced another tire
, mendous ''effort" in favor of purchasing
{ Alaska, barren ice-feld compared with Sar
Domingo-since, we say, Sumner and his
| friends are representing the Presidents desire
to buy San Domingo as crime worthy oi
impeachment, it would be good stroke o.
! policy to cut the ground from beneath theil
feet, and throw over the San Domingo pro
ject, at least until the people have had time
, to make themselves acquainted with all the
facts concerning it,
Let the cry for annexation come from the
people If Senator Summers elaborate argu
ments in favor of purchasing Alaska were
worth straw, they apply to the acquisition
of San Domingo with tenfold force. But Mr.
Sumner is in opposition. He was in opposi
, tion to President Lincoln more than once, bu
, ''Father Abraham" was too shrewd for him
J and never allowed himself 10 be caught at |
disadvantage. If President Grant will let th,
? San Domingo affair take its course, after th,
: Commissioners have reported, he will consul