New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-04-06
MT. Douglass Views.

pleases, and also an undoubted right TO express
them whenever and wherever he sees fit. 1t
may he true also that the Domincans are far
superior people TO the Hatiens, and that the
government of Hayti, claiming to be.a repub-
lie, Is despotlsm of the most oppressive cha
racter. We have no disposition to underrate
the extent of MIR. Douglass observations nor
the accuracy of his conclusions. The latter
are entitled to weight with the country, on &C
count of the high character of him who has
formed them. and the opportunities he has had
to arrive at them.
And yet. 1t Mr.. Douglass rs correctly re-
ported, he goes outside of his legitimate duty
when he asserts that If Mr.. Sumner shall
persevere In his present policy, | shall consider
his opposition factous. and regard him as the
worst foe the colored race has on this CONT
nent." There is much Of dogmatism in this
assertion, and we have little doubt but that the
correspondent has drawn upon his imagination
for good portion of it, Mr.. Summers oppor.
tanities for collecting correct information have
been quite as abundant as those of Mr.. Doug
lass. 1t does not follow that personal inspec
ton is always the best means of arriving at just
conclusions. The study of abundant docu-
ments of an official. chronological, geographi-
cal, and political character may furnish full as
accurate data, upon which to rely, as per-
sonal visit, necessarily hurried and incomplete.
That Mr.. Sumner has given the subject upon
which he speaks the fullest investigation, we
presume Mr.. Douglass will not himself deny.
Softly and fairly then. Mr.. Douglass, when
you traverse opinions with such an old friend
as Mr. Sumner.
Of course Mr. Douglass has given vent to no
such spiteful defamation as that contained IN
the stigma affixed TO Mr.. Sumner as 8 the worst
foe the colored race has on this continent
No one knows better than Mr.. douglass how
earnest and faithful have been the efforts of the
Senator in behalf Of that race, how he has al
ways been in the forefront of the battle for
popular rights. how he has ever been the ac-
knowledged champion of the oppressed and
| down-trodden. Mr.. Douglass cannot afford
! thus to vituperate Mr.. Sumner, because he
chances to hold views different from his own /;
and we do not believe he has done so. Fred
erck Douglass is too sensible, too logical, and
| too sef-cOntained thus to indulge IN an out
burst of passion. We shall be greatly disap
| pointed if this statement is not corrected.
| But, if he has thus given expression to his
feelings, he seems to have lost sight OF the true
| nature of Mr. Summers argument. That argu-
ment does not depend for its effectiveness upon
| the social or governmental conditions OF the
| people of Hayti or Santo Domingo. The former
may be despotism of the blacklist dye, and yet
Mr.. Sumner's Indictment is unassailed. liayt
/
| sive to us. Our wrong is not dependent upon
her status. Our ships Of war had no business
to menace her were she under the sway of .
Bomba. Mr.. Douglass, or, as is more likely,
the correspondent Of the Times seems to have
overlooked this flaw in the arraignment OF MIR.
Sumner but it 10 crushing To the issue made.
On the whole, We do not think that Mr.. Sum
ners enemies are to gain any new laurels by
this new mode Of ,attack.-Syracase Daily
Standard.
We have never had but one opinion Of Sen,
ator SUMNER, and that opinion is that he is an
honest man and sincerely devoted to the cause
Of justice and to the welfare of his fellow men.
We have never thought him anything else.
He has ever been our friend and the friend of
our despised race. We have thought him such
even in opposition to the annexation of Santo
Domingo. Nevertheless, we cannot but con
slider his opposition to that measure unfortunate
and INJURIOUS to that part of the colored race
who live in SantO Domingo, and, practically, a
great calamity to the colOred race in the United
States. First because it tends to the DIVISION
defeat, and distraction of the Republican party ;
and, secondly, because it is an encouragement
are to be made in this country. BY his man
ner OF speech and by his position, he is most
effectively playing in to the hands of the Demo
cratic party, and thus serving to strengthen
che worst enemies the colored man has. His
wise and statesman like course in the past has
given him hold on the American people which
makes his present attitude doubly effective for
avI Tha f,of fbaf
the President of the United States as pattern
of violence and chief of the worst class of
murderers and assassins, will be enough with
some men to induce the belief that President
GRANT, even if not guilty to the full extent of
these denunciatons, is, to say the least, very
bad man, and no longer worthy Of the love
and the confidence of the American people.
Even bad man may some times misead the
public mind but when good man does wrong,
and persists in that wrong, his very goodness
and character become elements of power in the
interest of evil. Hence we say, and have said
before, considering the glorious record of Sen.
ator SUMNER, he is to-day practically mot in
tentionally) the most dangerous and the most
effective power row arrayed against what we
consider the cause of our race. Whatever else
may be said Of the Republican party and of
General GRANT, they are now the only visible
hope of the colored race in the United States.
Outside of these we See no power that is likely
to stand between the country and rebellion
between the negro and murder, which is
even now reveling in loyal blood, and render
ing the constitutional guarantees which Mr..
SUMNER did so much TO frame null and void
We feel strongly. and speak strongly, but none
too strongly. The same principles that have
made us devoted to Mr. SUMNER. and to follow
him with unhesitating step in the past now
makes us cry out against his present alarming
position.
We do this hewever, in no malignant spirit
nor without hope that Mr. SUMNER. when all
the facts are before him, will change his course
1t would not be like Senator SUMNER to persist
in any coarse he sees to be wrong. He is great
and knows his greatness but he does not claim
To he infaiiible. lie knows the members of the
Santo Domingo Commission, and knows that
they are intelligent, faithful and henest men,
and that they are incapable OF framing report
merely TO suit the wishes of General GRANT
TO say that he will respect their testimony is
simply to accord to him common honesty To
say less Of him would be to accuse him of
downright madness, malignity. or dishonesty.
No such things can or oupht to he said of