St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-01-13
The Grant and Sumner Quarrel.

quarrel between President Grant and
Senator Sumner. The leading facts IN
the case are plainly set forth IN tile fol-
lowing letter from Washington cor
respondent:
after San Domingo was fairly re-
ircied bv the Senate last summer, the
Pre-ident, with his characteristic prrse-
verancc, pressed the -ubject again upon
Congress, and asked for Il commission TO
negotiate a treaty. His friends in the
Senate proposed commission. not TO
NEGOTIATE treaty, but TO make an invec-
LEGATION of all the facts, and report them
TO Congress. This was halfway prop
o-i,iJn, and number of the opponents
OF the Sau Domingo treaty gave their
assent 10 il. Mr.. Sumner, however,
from the commencement of the present
session, has vehemently opposed every
thing looking to the annexation of San
Domingo. lie claimed the right to
make any investigation he chose, with
out the assent of Congress, and he fur
iher charged that our Government Is, at
this time, supporting the Bacz govern
ment in San Domingo with war vessels.
and that AN investigation of the condi-
ton Of the people and their desires, SO
lar as annexation is concerned, would be
IL mockery. 1t was also insinuated, in
'hc dvbaic, that the commission, to be
.ppoinrei by the President, would be
made up Of gentlemen committed to an
ncXatiOn.
Some of the points made by Mr. Sum
h"r were not met-partlcularly that in
regard TO the intimidation exercised by
cur men Of war n Sonora Bay. The
:sreat ui,i;ne Mr. Simmer made was in
treating the subject with violence, and
espe tally his personalities toward the
President. If he could have spoken a.
S,natrr Patterson did-with vigor yet
with marked courtesy towards the Presi
dcnt-he would have made deeper i'm
preston on the Senate and the country.
\ sill bettcr plan, II seems TO me,
would have been TO reserve his thunder
fur the final contest, upon annexation
l.uuluIidS, VI CIlllolii, anu SCNCIdl Olu :
Senators who are opposed to annexation,
quietly acquiesced ID The plan of a COM
mission, ard are reserving their oppUsi-
ton TO a later pcriud-when direct an
neXatiUn, hy resolution, will be- pr, posed.
Ii Mr.. Su:uner could have taken this
course, that Terrible debate would have
teen avoided.
But there is something more in this
controversy than san Domingo. There
i Il quarrel between The President and
Mi summer. nqurslionnbly the PreSi-
dent supposed 4 Year 40 that Mr. Sum
her WAS gong 10 support tie tr, ATTY, and
" hen he s.tnt against it Mr.. Motley Wa
renewed from utlicc in pari 10 punish
the Massachusetts senator. This reused
The lndlgn&liorn Of NJ. Sumner and he
ut,ctcd many severe things about tie
l'rcsld Mt, nearly ali of which was duly
reported to him. some OF sumner re-
marks were Interpreted rs lmpugnin4
the honesty OF The Prosder;, though the
:>>mator denied the ether day in tie Sen
ale that lie had ever Questioned the III
trgriiy of the Prcsil,nl. However, Gen.
Gran, believed thai he had dui c 20 and
IN a moment oi passion SAID il he were not
PRECEDENT ''hc would call Mr. Sumner 10
account for IT," One OF the P,e-idrnt',
aides went farther and said il Ii" were
Il. liberty ''he would pull Mr. Summers
no>c," lieic i, the personal quarrel
and il is all mixed up in the san Domin-
go urb..tc, and II l. about IA al Il s.tua-
lion a. c.rr tiiice OF four myu got INTO.
and Gmlcss prudence i exercised 1! WI
seriously irjure the Republican party.
For Mr.. :rIiuner Wa, IGr the only par
icipalur i'll the great debate. Mr>>rs
Chandler and Cnk!iMg far cl,d
han. They were positively brutal i'll
language anG bcaling toward NJ. sum
ncr-whv,e .hoc-s'rr g they aic "o. ii,
II un.ic.
Aud now there = talk OF tuIc.hly re-
moving Mr.. Sumacr from the Committee
ii Foreign Relations, at the mead OF
which L,' has been for ten yraiS His
l. what M,s,rs. Conkiing and Chand or
arc the Senate to d"-~u Ii is their zeal
II hciiali Of the President. Nothing
could he worse for the parry, or the
country, for it would drive from the
-"rpoit Of the administration thousands
% the bet i;c"ui';rans in the land, who
wiil not luirra:c >u.l hursnnc>s against
enc OF the puIe>t founders of the Rrprh.
iic:.n parry. IL is iin,' 10 c;i-e from ylu-
lenct ana Try c"nc!i.;lun. Even If Mr.
S.nrn i Is I.nplac,ic;:bir there Is nothing
I" b. gained 10y lis removal. Ii the san
DominG" scheme i to lie pu>hed through
Cong es> there viii he r,sk enough t. til,
party and to Gen. Grants personal for
tune. without prosecuting Il war against
the Republicans who viii vote against it.
For ii is an uudtniabe fact that the
pureot and abiest Republicans in Congress
oppose the scheme, while men of doubt
tut reputation AMI many who IL, r. the
control vi ttfi e. mere HAN aI.ythiu.
else, support i. 30 not mean - as
scrt that no go men advocate it, lor
Il At Is not tue. y lew Iii st excellent
Senators advocate annexation, but they
do not desire 10 taIce IT through at the
risk of the Destruction CT tie party"
Daring EfOGJely ara Pr0bubfe
-Id"R -.
Tie American Merchants Union en-