Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-06
A Pungent Letter from Chas. Sumne
He Annihilates Speaker Blaine.

and Thy God MY God"
WASHINGTON, Aug. Ex-senator Sumner
thus replies to Speaker Blaine: s
Washington, Aug. 5, 1S72.-DEAR SIR
l have seen the letter addressed to me by
you through the public prints, and notice
especially that, while animadverting upon
my support of Horace Greeley, you say not
one word in vindication of that compound
of pretensions known as Grantism in con-
tradistinction to Republicanism, which you
would install anew in the Government.
You are greatly concerned about the COM
pany keep. To quiet your solicitude, l
beg to say that in joining the Republicans
who brought forward an original abolition
ist, l find myself with SC many others de-
voted to the cause have served always,
that
Had not Missed You,
until you fastened to report your absence;
nor had taken account of Southern seces-
sionists who as you aver are now co-opera-
ting with me in support of this
original abolitionist, except to re-
joice that if among my former
associates some like yourself hesitate, their
places are supplied in an unexpected quar-
ter. You entirely misunderstood me
when you introduce an incident of the
past and build on 1t an argument why l
should not support Horace Greeley. What
has Preston Brooks to do with the Presi-
dental election? Never while a sufferer
did anybody hear me speak of him in IN
kindness, and now, after the lapse of more
than half generation, l will not unite with
you in dragging him from the grave where
he sleeps to aggravate the passions of po-
itical conflict and arrest the longing for
concord. And here is the essential differ
ence between you and me at this juncture:
seize the opportunity to make the equal
rights of all secure through peace and re-
Cancellation. But this infinite boon you
would postpone. Seven years have
passed since we laid aside our arms,
but unhappily during all this period
there has been a hostile spirit toward
each other, while the rights of our
colored fellow-citizens have been in
perpetual question. Seven years mark a
natural period in human life. Should not
the spirit be changed with the body? Can
we not after seven years commence a new
life?-especially when those once our foes
repeat, saying "Thy people shall be my peo-
pie and thy God my God" l declare nv
IOl al O1lsIlldk dDOllIlOnlSL as
President, and you seek to create diver
sion by crying out that Democrats will sup
port him, to which Ireply, SO much the
better. Their support is an assurance that
the cause he has so constantly guarded,
whether of equal rights or reconciliation, is
accepted by the Democrats; and this is the
pledge of true union beyond anything in
our history. 1t is victory of ideas, without
which all other victories must fail. To in
tensify your allegation, you insist that am
ranged with Jefferson Davis and Robert
Toombs; but pardon me, nobody knows
how the former will vote, while Robert
TOombs is boisterous againts Horace
Greeley, and with him are Stephens,
Wise and Mosby. This is all very Door,
and mention it only to exhibit the charac-
ter of your attempt. In the same spirit
you seek to avoid the real issue by holding
up the possibility of what you call Demo
cratic administration, and you have the
courage to assert as within my knowledge
that by the election of Greeley Congress is
handed over to the control of a party who
have positively denied the right Of the
blackmen. You say that l know this. Mr.
Speaker, 1 know no such thing, and YOU
should be sufficiently Thoughtful not to as
sert it. l am entirely satisfied that a canvass
like the present, where the principles de-
clared at Cincinnati are openly accepted on
the one side and not contested on the other.
must result in larger number Of Congress
siOnal Representatives sincerely devoted to
the rights Of colored citizens than ever be-
fore. The Democrats will be pledged as
never before to the ruling principle that all
men are equal before the law, and also 10
the three Constitutional amendments
with the clause in each empower
ing Congress TO enforce the same
by appropriate legislation. But besides the
Democrats, there will be Liberal Republicans |
pledged likewise and also your peculiar as
sociates, who l trust will not betray the |
cause. Senators and Representatives call !
ing themselves Republicans have been lat |
terly in large majority in both Houses. |
but the final measure of civil rights to |
which you refer, though urged by me almost |
daily, has failed to become the law, less | |
fear from Democratic opposition than Re-
publican lukewarmness and want of SUD- |
port. The present great issue which the |
people are called to decide in November is |
on the President, and nobody knows bet
ter than yourself that the House of Repre-
sentatiYeS chosen al the same time will natu- |
rally harmonic with him. So it has been
i'll our history. Now harmony with Horace
Greeley involves what most desire. With |
such a President, Congress will be changed |
for the first time since the war. The equal |
rights of all viii have a declared Repre-
at the head Of the Government
VII nse presence there will be of higher 81 mi
fcance than that of any victor in war, being
not only testimony but also a constant motive
power. In this great cause, opposition,
whether open hostility or more subtle
will yield to the steady influence
of such a representative. Therefore in
looking to the President, look also to Con-
gress, which will take its character in a
large measure from him. In choosing Hor-
ace Greeley we do the best we can for the
whole government, not only in the eyecu-
tive but in the legislative branch, while we
decline TO support nepOtism, repayment of
personal gifts by official patronage, the
seizure OF war powers and indlgnity to a
black Republic, and the various incapacity