Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-24
The Assault o., Mr.. Sumner.

From Tie Golden Age
q 1t was our hope, and almost our
expectation, that TIE TTb,tne would
give voice to tie Indignation OF the
radical party at the arbitrary remo-
val of Mr.. Sumner from the Chair
manship OF the Senatc's Committee
on Foreign Relations. But that .ionr-
nal, although it promptly said, eve
could wish that this seeming lndig-
nifty might have been spared him."
nevertheless also said, ''Wc cannot
consider the removal of Mr.. Sumner
as an outrage or anything Of the
sort" The reason which Tie Ti-
dune gives for its very moderate re-
pugnance to the high-handed act is
this: 1T is absurd to contend" it
says, "that the Senate should not
assign to its committees respective
" the members whom the majority
shall from time to time consider fit
test for the discharge of their re-
spective dnties." This is true
Just as true as if we should say that
the stockholders Of THE Tribune AS
sociation, in meeting once a year to
elect an cditor-in-chief, have the
right to choose whomsoever the ma
jority shall deem fit. Nevertheless,
when The Tribune Association, Il
few months ago, balloted as usual
for an editor, if the result of the
election had been to depose Mr.
Greeley from his headship of the
staff, and to make him second in
rank, for instance to Mr.. Solon Rob
inson, a good many people would
have called the act an Outrage" :"
Nor would they have been content
ed, by way of explanation, with The
TribWae's profound argument in fa-
vor Of the rights of majorities. But
here and there some clique in the
Republican party so often snubs Mr..
Greeley, with Ihe T.ibune's acqui-
cscencc, that we cannot wonder at
a similar outrage upon Mr.. Sumner,
without The Tibune's rebuke. Nor
can we help remembering that there
was once time when The Tribune
was of warmer blood, and that there
was once an American Senator, in
whose behalf, if he had been made
the victim Of such an indignity, that
journal would have uttered its most
clarion-like of notes in a fine anger
of defence against his assailants.
That time was twenty years ago,
and that Senator was Henry Clay.
During these same twenty years,
Mr.. Sumner has been Senator; du-
ring twelve, member of the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations; and
during ten, its Chairman. 1t can
not be denied that, during this time,
three-fourths of all who have criti-
cised him as an abolitionist, or as a
financier, or as doctrinairc-dis-
liking him in all these characters
have nevertheless shown an uneX-
ampled unanimity in commenting
his course as the Chairman of our
Foreign Relations. 7He Ereuiug
Post, speaking for one political par
ty, says, "It is admitted, in the Sen
ate and out of it, that there is no
other Senator so well qualified for
the position as he;" and 7He World,
speaking for the opposite party,
says, 'He is better qualified by
knowledge and experience than any
other member of the Senate" This
joint testimony of friend and foe is
just. For years he has made his
duties as Chairman Of this Commit
tee a subject of daily and nightly
study. He is an expert in all topics
of international comfy. 1t is hard
ly too much to say that from his
knowledge of the affairs of European
nations, he would be capable of act
ing as Prime Minister to any one of
half dozen governments outside
his own. He has had official deal
ings with all civilized nations, and
his name is known, and his charac-
ter honored, among them ala re-
mark which cannot be made, at least
with any emphasis, Of ahy Other
d., N,,,or,no~ ac,,,ou ,o..