Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-08-15
Selistellameuns &eadimg.
THE PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST.
Letter from Speaker Blaine to Chas. Sumner

AUGUSTA, Me-, July 81, 1872.
Hon. Charles Summer, United States Senator
DEAR S1R:-Your letter published in the
papers of this morning will create profound
pain and regret among your former political
friends throughout New England. Your pow
er to iniure General Grant was exhausted IN
YOUR remarkable speech in the Senate. Your
power to injure yourself was not fully exer-
cised until you announced an open alliance
with the Southern Secessionists in their efforts
to destroy the Republican party Of the nation.
have but recently read with much interest
the circumstantial and minute account given
by you, in the fourth volume of your works, OF
the manner in which you were struck down
in the Senate chamber, in 1856, for defending
the rights of the negro. The Democratic par
ty throughout the South, and according to
your own showing, to some extent in the
North, also, approved that assault upon you.
Mr.. Toombs, of Georgia., openly announces
his approval of it in the Senate, and Jefferson
Davis, four months after its occurrence, wrote
letter to South Carolina in fulsome eulogy
of Brooks for so nearly having taken yoar tJe.
It is safe to say that every man in the South
who rejoiced over the attempt to murder you
was afterward found in the rebel conspiracy
to murder the nation.
1t is still safer to say that every one of them
who survives is to-day your fellow-laborer in
support of Horace Greeley. In 1856 he
would indeed have been rash prophet who
predicted your fast alliance sixteen years after
with Messrs. Toombs and Davis in their ef'
forts to reinstate their own party in power.
In all the startling mutations of American
politics, nothing 30 marvellous has ever occur
red as the fellowship Of Robert Toombs, Jeffer.
son Davis, and Charles Sumner in a joint ef:
fort to drive the Republican party from power
and hand over the Government to the practi.
cal control of those who so recently sought to
destroy it.
1t is of no avail for you to take refuge be-
hind the Republican record of Horace Gree
ley. Conceding, for the sake of argument Gas
do not in fact believe that Horace Greeley
would remain firm in his Republican princi'
Piles, he would be powerless against the Con
gress that would come into power with him
in the event of his election. We have had a
recent and striking illustration in the case OF
Andrew johnson, of the inability Of the Pres
ident to enfore policy, or even a measure,
against the will of Congress. What more
power would there be in Horace Greeley to
enforce Republican policy against Demo
cratic Congress than there was in Andrew
johnson to enforce Democratic policy against
Republican Congress ? And, besides, Horace
Greeley has already, in his letter of accept
ance, taken ground practically against the
Republican doctrine so often enforced by
yourself, of the duty of the National Govern
ment to secure the rights Of every citizen to
Mr.. Greeley's letter accepting the Cincinnati
nomination, he pleases every ku-klux villain
in the South by repeating the Democratic cant
about "local selfgovernment," and inveighing
in good rebel parlance against, "centrailzaa,; ;,
tion," and finally declaring that "there shall
be no Federal subversion of the internal poll.
cy of the several States and municipalities,
but that each shall be left free to enforce the
rights and promote the we'll being of its in