The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-16
The FAN of sumner.

presenting for twenty years in the~cnHed
States Senate all the peculiar ''ismS OF
which New England is the soil and Boston
the seed ground. he has come to grief at the
hands of the man he helped to power
During this long period, as the mouth piece
of Massachusetts, be attained an emnence
in the Republican party, and an influence
which enabled him to command men and
measures with an authority little short OF
despotic sway. In character, Ga intellectual
cynic o species, of pedantic Ben Butler !;
crafty without being bold; cruel without
being courageous; scholarly without being
original; political schemer whose states
manship scarcely looked beyond the mo-
ment. Sumner sought in an mlucky hour
to rule Grant as he had ruled the Senate.
Relying on bis power as New Englander,
and as the exponent Of the ideas that have
been dominant IN the North and West for
the past ten years, he issued from his coun-
Gil chamber, as Chairman: of the Committee
on Foreign Affairs, pronur.cianaentos which
practically declared war on the Administra-'
ton. He has stood in the way of the settle
ment of the Alabama claims; he sought to
disturb the peaceful relations existing be-
tween England and the United States, and
was On obstacle TO the acquisition OF San
Domingo-the favorite scheme of the Presi-
dent. Aggressive until be became "a thorn
sin the flesh, 1.-THE policy Of the Admins
tration demanded his removal from the I'M
portaIt position hs occupied.
How it was effected is matter OF familiar
record. In party caucus, by vote oil 26 to
2l, his decapilation was determined upen'
and the Msgaus Apollo OF New England.
Radicallsm was forthwith unceremoniousls
elected from the chairmanship OF the foreign
affairs committee to make room for Came
ron, the servile tool of the Administration,
the railroad monopolist the protective tariff
advocate, and the representative OF the
vilest traits of American politics.
Mr.. Sumner has been brought to the
block by hls party. 1t matters not that the
President demanded his. head in charger;
the party is the executnner. The caucus
work was the work OF the party. 1t matters
not that the most eminent and able leaders
OF the party, Logan, the two Morrills,
schurz, Sherman, .Trumbull and Wilson, op-
posed an execution which was, really,
punishment for independent action; the
mediocre element OF. the party overpowered
them, and carried their point. Chand-
Ter and Morton marshalled the majority
at the bidding OF the President,
and nearly all the scalawags and car
petrbag senators from the. Sontb,
whom Mr.. Sumner had so laboriously assist
ed into their seats, helped to strip him sf
his houors. When New England comes to
complain of this treatment OF her favorite
statesman, she will have the modification OF
rejecting that Pool, Of North Carolina;
Sawyer,.of South Carolina;- Ames, OF Missis-
sippi; Kellogg and West, of Louisiana;
Flanagan, of Texas; Osborne, of Florida,
aud Brownlow, of Tennessee, the creatures
of her own policy of reconstruction, were the
servile instruments by which the deed was
effected.
The Republican party can no longer claim
to be the representative OF independent
thought ami action. Itdares to strike down
it's most conspicuous and able leader for
presuming to think and act for himself on a
question that does not affect the declared
policy of the party, and it will strike down
its next ablest leaders whenever they dare to
commit similar offence. Schurz and Sum-
ner have been degraded; Trumhull and
Wilson may follow. tomorrow, and, in the
end, there may be nothing left Of the party
but its most worthless element, led by the
strong will of the occupant of the White
House.