Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-06-01
Nr. Summers Attack on President
Grant
TIE MAIN POINTS IN HIS sPHF

assault on President Grant. The Senator began
10y affirming his fealty TO the republican party,
and briefly recounted its achievements. He
gave long history of the st. Domingo negotia-
lions, and severely censUred the President 70
his perslsteEcy III the matter. lie charged thai
the present government Is personal one, AMI
said:
Mot only are Constitution and IA = lisre-
garded, but the Presidential Office itSCii :
treated as little more than plGythiu- AMI a
Icrqu site-when not the former. t-en lhs latter.
here ne details are ample; showing hJE i-sm
the beginning this exalted trust has i-sv.si ID
toe personal indulgence, where ll'.,, .i.-.
fast horses, and seaside loiterinES Grgrs m rrs
than duties; how personal aiIIS and objects nave
been more prominent than the pablo Interests:
how the Presidential Office has haea u~eH 2,
advance his own family on a scale OF nepotIsfu
GWaIhBg everything OF the kind in our history
and hardly equalled in the corrupt goycrnn, nts
where this abuse has most prevailed; how in tn
same spirit office has been conferred upou fhoS,
from whom he had received gifts or benefits,
obligations; how personal devotion to himself,
rather than public or party service, has been
made the standard of favor; how the vast APP
pointing power conferred by the Constitution
Tor the general welfare has been em0Ioyed az
his will TO promote his schemes, TO reward his
friends, TO punish his opponents, and to advance
his election TO second term; how all these
assumptions have matured in a personal gorerl.-
meat semi-miiitary in character and breathing
the military spirit, being species OF Cesar
ism or perSOndlism abhoIrent 10 "A republican
institutions, where subservieEce 10 the Presi-
dent Is the supreme Law; how in maintaining
this SubSeryience he has operated by a system
Sl COMBINATIONS, military, political, and even
Senatorial, having their orbits about him so
THAT, like the planet Saturn, lie Is surrounded
by rngS;nor does the Similitude end here, for his
rings like those OF the planet, are held IN posi-
ton by satellites; how this utterly unrepublican
CEsarlsm has mastered the republican party
and dictated the presidential wi I, stalking into
the Senate chamber itself while a vindictive
spirits visits good republicans cannot submit
how the President himself. Unconscious that "A
President has no right to quarrel with ANYBODY
insists upon quarreling until he has become the
great presidential qUarreler, with more quarrels
than al other Presidents together, and All beeuD
and continued by himself; how his personal TO-
lowers back him in quarTes, insult those he in
suits, and then, not departing from his spirit
cry out with Shakespeare, 1--WE will have rms
ami things and fine array" and finally how me
chosen head OF The republic is known chiefly Tor
presidential pretensiOns, utterly iudetensible in
character, derogatOry TO the country aud OF evil
influence, making personal objects a primary
pursuit, so that instead OF beneicen presenc.
he Is bad example through whom republican
institutions suffer and tie people learn 10 10
wrong"
MI. Sumner then went OH 10 assert tia, the
President Is a failure as a statesman, and said
that just previous TO the death Of Secretary
Stanton the speaker visited him, when he Stan
TOM sand to him, Sumner with peculiar earn
estness and solemnity SO have SON. athiuy TO
say to you. | know Gen. Grant better than am
other person in the country can know him H.
was my duty to study him, and | did 50 nigh,
Il when 1 IL
not see him, and now tell YOU what know
lie cannot GCUern his couRtryh
MIR. Sumner then charged the President viii
gross nep0tism, and quoted the expressions OF
former Presidents and Statesmen adverse to the
appointment Of relatives TO Office. He then
charged him with having accented Gifts and
given ofhces to the donor IN return, and said -
" VIGOROUSLY he has taken gifts while in the
publ: service, some at least after he had been
elected President, until the Galena tanner OF
a lew hundred dollars year, TO borrow the
Nolos 81 ny colleague, Mr. Wilson, one of MS
supporters, A. now TiCl in houses, lands and
stock above his salary, being probably the
richest President since George Washington
VIGOROUSLY he has appointed TO has cabinet
several among these - Greeks bearing gifts -
without seeming to see the in iecorurn, ID not
the iDdecency, of the transaction. AT least two
il not three OF these Gre cks, having no known
position in the republican party or influence in
the country, have been selected as his counsel
Ors i'll national affairs, and heads OF great de-
partments of government"
Mr.. Sumner then went on to comment Sc
verely on the expression in President Grants
inaugural address-"The responsibilities OF the
position | feel, but l accept them without
fear'-and said that ''great predecessor with
ample preparation for the responsibilities had
shrunk back with fear. lie lad none. Either
he did not see the responsibilities. or the Cesar
began TO stir in his bosom. IN either case he was
not qualified" He then entered upon a review
OF the Presidents cabinet, characterizing the
members he selected as persons having small
relations with the republican party, and little
v.
sty led the "military occupation of the White
House, he said: &" The earliest public notice of
this military occupation appeared in the Dlilg
Morning Chronicle of March ., 1862 understood
to be the official organ Oh the administration:
President Grant was not at the White House
yesterday, but the following m smbers of his
stan were occupying the secretaries rooms and
acting as such: Generals Babcock, Porter, Ba-
deaU and Dent
Mr.. Sumner, referring to the fact that on his
return from st. Domingo as one OF the United
pnr H., 81.
cluded from the table OF a Potomac mail
steamer, said that the President, whose commits
sion he had borne, neither lid or said anything
to right this wrong, and few days later, when
entertaining the commissioners at the Executive
mansion, actually forgot the cOlored orator
whose services he had sought.
MIR. Sumner said that evide ntly the President
has never read the eleventh comman lment: "a
President of the United States shall never quar-
irel." At least he lives in perpetual violation OF
il, listening to stories from horse cars. COB
bling the gossip of his milit AIRY ring, discourSing
on imaginary griefs, and nursing his unjust
anger. The elect of forty millions of people has
no right to quarrel with anybody. His position
is too exalted.
Mr.. S. protested against General Grant as
radically unfit for the presidential office, and
claimed that he does not deserve special credit
for the reduction Of the pc bic debt; that il was
reduced more by Andrew johnson in the same
space of time.
Protesting against the nomination OF Gran
by the national republican convention, Mr..
Sumner said "Much rather would see the
party to which am allie dedicated under the
image of a life-boat not TO be sunk by wind or
wave. do not fear the democratic party. But 1
do fear quarrelsome pilot IN Used to the sea- but
pretentious in command, who occupies himself
in loading aboard his own unserviceable rels-
tons and personal patrons, while he drives
away the experienced seamcn who know the
craft and her voyage. Meanwhile I wait the
discrimination of the national convention with
the earnest hope that it will bring the republi-
can party into ancient harmony, saving il
especially from the suicidal folly Of an issue on
the personal pretensions of one man." Mr.
Sumner spoke nearly four hours. The galleries
were filled and most of the Senators were in
their seats before he concluded, and when the
House adjourned the members came over in
crowds to the Senate chamber.
The EIGHT-HoUR movement has extended to
Providence, X. l., where the carpenters, cab
met makers, upholsterers, varnishers and car
vers have held meeting and appointed a COM
mlttee or three from each trade in the city to
visit all the shops and notify the workmen to
assemble in mass meeting. The marble cutters
and polshers of Long Island city struck on Nav
9th for eight hours and $50 per day. About
one hundred men employed in seven wards
Joined in the movement. The men have been