New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-15
Speaker Blaine to Chas. sumner,
AUGUSTA, Me-, July 81, 1872.

friends throughout New England. Your
power to injure General Grant was exhausted
i'm your remarkable speech in the senate.
Your power to injure yourself was not fully
exercised until you announced an open alll-
ance with the Southern secessionists III 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 yol were struck down
In the Senate Chamber In 1856, for defending
the rights of tho negro. The Democratic
party throughout the South, and according
to your own shown. to some extent in the
North also, approved that assault upon you.
Mr.. Toombs, of Georgia, openly announced
his approval OF it in the Senate, and Jefferson
DAVIS, four months after its occurrence, wrote
q letter to South Carolina in fulsome euloSy
Of Brooks for having 60 nearly taken your
life.
1t 10 safe to say that every man in the South
who rel DICED over the attempt to murder you
was afterwards 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 tellow-laborer in support of Horace
Greeley. In 1856 he would indeed have been
a rash prophet who predicted your fast ALI
ance sixteen years after with MessrS. Toombs
and Davis in their efforts to reinState their
own party in power. In all the startling nu-
tations of American politics nothing so mar
vslous has ever occurred as the fellowship OF
Robert TOombs, Jefferson Davis, and Chas.
Sumner in a Joint effort to drive the Repub-
lican party from power and hand over the
Government to the practical control OF those
who SO recently sought to destroy it.
IT Is OF NO AVAIL
for you to take refuge behind the Republican
record of Horace Greeley. ConcedinS, for
the sake of argument, Gas do not in fact be-
lieye.) that Horace Greeley would remain
firm in his Republican principles, he would
be powerless against the Congress that would
come into power with him in the event OF
his election. We have recent and striking
illustration in the case of Andrew Johnson,
of the inability Of the President to enforce
policy, or even measure against the Will OF
Congress. What more power would there
be in Horace Greeley to enforce Republican
policy against Democratic Congress than
there was in Andrew Johnson to enforce
Democratic policy against Republican Con-
gress? And besides, Horace Greeley has
already, in his letter of acceptance, taken
ground practically against the Republican
duty of the National Government to secure
life, person, and property.
In NJ. Greeley's letter accepting the Gin
CHINA Nomination he pleases every Ku-kluX
will {the South by repeating the Demo-
craft mt about local self-government,'
andl Ching in good rebel parlance against
"cen...fzatiOn," and finally declaring that
" there shall be no Federal subversion Of the
internal policy of the several States and mu-
inequalities, but that each shall be left free
to enforce the rig hts and promote the we'll
being of its inhabitants by such means as the
judgment of its own people shall prescribe"
THE MEANING OF ALL THIS,
in plain English, is that no matter how the
colored citizens of the South may be abused,
wr3Rsed, and oppressed, Congress shall not
interfere for their protection, but leave them
to the tender mercies of the "local self-gov-
ernment," administered by the white rebels
Do you. &c friend to the colored man, APP
prove this position Of Mr.. Greeley?
You cannot forget, Mr.. Summer, how often
during the last session Of Congress you con-
ferred with me in regard to the possibility of
having your civil rights bill passed by the
House. It was introduced by your personal
friend, Mr.. Hooper, and nothing prevented
it's passage by the House except the rancor-
GUS and tactious hostility of the Democratic
members. If l have correctly examined the
Globe, the Democratic members on seventeen
different occasions resisted the passage of the
civil rights bill by the parliamentary process
known as fillibustering. They would not
even allow it to come to vote. Two intel
ligent colored members from South Carolina.
ElliorS and Rainey, begged of the Democratic
side of the House to merely allow the civil
rights bill to be voted on, and they were an
swered with denial so absolute that it
amounted to a scornful jeer of the rights of
the colored man. And now you lend your
voice and influence to the reelection of these
Democratic members who are cooperating
with you in the support of Mr.. Greeley. Do
you not know, Mr.. Sumner, and will you not
as candid man acknowledge, that with these
men in power in Congress the rights of the
eolored men are absolutely sacrificed, so far
As those rights depend on Federal Legislation?
Still further: The rights of the colored men
in this country are secured, if secured at all,
by the
THREE GREAT CONSTITUTIONAL AMsND-
MENTs,
the 18th, 18th, and 18th. To give these
amendments full scope and effect, legislation
by Congress is imperatively required, as you
have so sften and so eloquently demonstrated.
But the Democratic party are on record in
the most conspicuous manner against any
legislation on the subject. 1t was only in
the month of February last that my colleague,
Mr.. Peters, offered a resolution in the House
Of Representatives, affirming the validity
Of the constitutional amendments and of such
reasonable legislation of Congress as may be
necessary to make them in their letter and
spirit most effectual." This resolution very
mild and guarded, as you will see--was
adopted by l24 yeas to SIS nays; only eight
Of the yeas were Democrats; all the navs
were Democrats.
The resolution of Mr. Peters was followed,
week later, by one offered by Mr.. Steven
son, of Ohio, as follows:
"Resolsed, That we recognize as valid and
binding all existing laws passed by Congress
for the enforcement of the thirteenth, four
teenth, and fifteenth amendments of the Con-
etitution Of the United States, and for the
protection of citizens in their rights under the
Constitution as amended"
On the vote upon this resolution there were
l07 yeas to Is nays. All the yeas were Re-
publicans, and they are now unanimous in
support of President Grant. All the nays
were Democrats who arc now equally unani-
NOUS in support of Mr.. Greeley.
1T is IDLE TO AFFIRM,
as some Democrats did in a resolution offered
by Mr.. Brooks, of New York, that "these
amendments are valid parts of the Constitu-
ton" so long as the same men on the same
day vote that the provisions Of those amend