Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-03-16
THE SUMNER IMBRoeLIo.
Views Of Friends and Opponents Of the
Senate Action.

new xorE Times, Col. L. J.. Crounse, who
enjoys the confidence of the President,
gives in the following dispatch the clearest
| and most forcible explanation of the causes
for the removal of Senator Sumner, and no
doubt reflects the views Of the Administra-
ton on the subject. After showing the
absurdity of charging it to be San Do
rningo issue, he says:
He has, in his position as Chairman of
| the Committee on Foreign Relations, &C.
cured the confidence Of the treaty-making
power, only to forearm himself for attack
upon its measures. By time-honored Gus
| tom that position has always been accred-
| tied with the sanctity and confidential re-
| lations of a Cabinet portfolio. The Chair
man of that Committee has known, step
| by step, the progress of the most delicate
diplomatic negotiations. He has been the
connecting link between the treaty-mak-
| Ing power and the Senate, and his position
| is necessarily such that personal respect
and confidence must exist on both sides or
| the most disastrous results will ensue. It
| is therefore absolutely ridiculous to say that
| Mr.. Sumner could still maintain official re-
| lations, and that communication can be
| had in writing. Every man here knows
that these confidential matters are not and
cannot be reduced to writing until final re-
suits have been reached. The Administra-
ton is entitled to have its measures fairly
presented to the Senate and the country,
| and to that end it is entitled to have in the
Chairman of that Committee man whose
ability and sympathies will enable it to so
frame its measures of foreign policy, that
| the assent of the requisite twO-thirds may
| be secured. Atany moment it may become
| imperative, as it has become imperative
| heretofore for the Secretary of State to lay
L r.. H. 4 - ~
matters of the highest importance for their
consideration. Can the Administration
expect dispassionate consideration and
skillful manipulation of such matters from
q man who, like Senator Sumner, openly
declares that the President ought to be,
and wilt be impeached? who says that
Grant has acted with consummate mean
ness, who styles him in indiscriminate
conversation as q COLOSSUS of ignorance
and who says, further, that the crime of
Andrew Johnson, for which he was inn
peached, and which he, Sumner, voted to
convict him Of whitens into snow-like in
nocence in contrast with the crime of
which Grant has been guilty toward the
infant Republics of Hayti and San Do
mingo. Now, it may be said that these
matters are all personal, but where respect
and confidence are utterly destroyed, there
can be no relations, official or unofficial,
and no men better appreciate this than
those who undertook, early last December,
to make peace and smooth the way so that
important public measures might not be
put in jeopardy; but after weeks Of effort
they abandoned the attempt. They said
then this change would have to be made
sooner or later, and the speech of Deem
Der Goth came very near bringing it about,
but the necessity for it was deprecated so
much that it was deemed better to wait
still more pressing occasion. In the mean
time matters have gone from bad to worse.
People who talk of the insult to Mr. Sum-
ner in transferring him from one impor-
tant committee to another, must have
Short memories if they can forget the
scores of insults heaped upon the Presi-
dent and his official household in that De-
cember speech: the reckless charges, never
denied, oftheC Chicago interview; the insinu-
alton of the corruption of Gen. Babcook; the
betrayal OF the private interview which the
President sought at Mr.. Summers house,
and the shameful insinuation which &C
connpanied 1t; and now, more recently, it
has only by the efforts of Mr.. Summers
most intimate friends, including his attend
ing physician, that he has been prevented
from delivering in the Senate a carefully
prepared speech, which he styles contri-
button to international law, but which,
according to Senators who have heard por-
lions of It quoted, bristles with rhetorical
invective against the Administration. It
Ia these facts which make the vote for
change stronger now than it was last De-
cember, and which cause Senators differ |
ing wholly from the Executive on the
question of San Domingo, to unite in
making the change.
The following from the Washington cor |
respondent of the Cincinnati Gazette, gives
the views of those Republicans who do |
not endorse the movement:
The Republican members of the Lower
House, with but few exceptions, condemn |
Summers deposition in severe terms, al |
though they are on most friendly relations |
with the Administration. Thew charac- |
terize the whole thing as one of those SIN. |
pid political plumbers which are worse
then crimes, and for which there is no |
known remedy. This removal was oripi- |
nally conceived Immediately after Sum |
ner's speech on San Domingo as was then |
intimated in these dispatches, but there |
were few Senators who then had the cour- |
age to carry out the wishes of the Presi- |
dent, and the State Department in this re-
spect, and the project was dropped. |
In those days days down to the final action |
of the Senate yesterday, newspaper CORE |
spondents were obliged to seek officials i'm |
order to get informed as to. the matter. |
To-day the tide is returned, and the news /
paper and newspaper representatives are |
anxiously sought after by officials of all |
classes in order that the latest news be OBJ
tanned of the effect the news has produced
upon the country. Sumner himself has
been in receipt of dispatches all day from
all points of the country rendering him
sympathy and well wishes in his present
situation. He has also been waited unon
in person by large number of prominent |
men both in and out of office, who assure
him of their support in the war being
made upon him. The President is also i'm
satisfied mood, and has conversed freely
with visitors to-day upon this all absorb
ing topic. He processes to see nothing to
fear in the clamor being raised in Sum
ner's behalf, and intimates that it bears
remarkable resemblance to the same storm
which broke out when Cox was removed
He thinks that after the people have re-