New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-06
SUMNER.
senatOr Sumner's Reply to Speaker
Blaine.

senatOr sumner's Reply to Speaker
| Blaine.
WASHINGTON, D. c., August 5, 1872.
DEAR SRI have seen the letter ad-
| dressed 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 yindica-
ton Of that compound of pretension known
as Grantism, in contradiction to repub-
licanism, which you would install anew
| in the government. You are great
ly concerned about the company l keen.
TO quiet your sOlicitude, beg leave to say
that, in joining the Republicans who BROUGHT
forward an original abOlitionst, | find nv
self with go many others devoted to the
| cause | have served always that had not
missed you until you hastened to report
your absence; nor had ] taken account of
the Southern seeessiOnists who, as YOU aver
are now cooperating with me in the sup
port of this original abOlit.Onst, except to
rejoice that if, among former associates
some like yourself hesitate, their places are
supplied in an unexpected quarter.
You entirely misunderstood me when
you introduce an incident of the past aud
build on it an argument why l should not
support Horace Greeley. What has Preston
Brooks to do with the presidential eIeotiOnl
Never while sufferer, did anybody hear
me speak of him in unkindness, and now.
after the lapse of more than half q genera
tion, will not unite with you in dragging
him from the grave where he sleeps to ag-
gravate the passions of a politicaf conflict
and arrest the longing for concord and here
is the essential difference between you and
me at this juncture
seize the opportunity to make the equal
rights of all secure through peace and re-
conciiatiOn, but this infinite boon YOU
would have postponed
Seven years have passed since we laid
aside our arms, but unhappily during all
the period there has been hostile spirit
toward each other, while the rights of col.
ored citizens have been in perpetual ques-
ton.
Seven years mark a natural period of
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 the saying:
Thy people shall be my people, and thy
God my God!' l declare my preference
for an original abolitionist for Presi-
dent, and you seek to create q di-
version by crying out that Democrats
will supRprt him. To which I reply,
20 much the better. Their support is the
assurance that the course he has 80 con
stantly guarded, whether Of equal rights or
reconciliation, is accepted by the Democrats,
and this is the pledge Of a true union be
yOnd anything in our history. 1t is vic
tory of ideas, without which all other vic
tories must fail.
To intensity 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 bOsterOus again { Horace
Greeley, and with bim are Wise, Stephens
and MOseby This is all very poor, and 1
mention it only to exhibit your attempC in
the same spirit you seek to avoid the real
issue, by holding up the possibility Of what
you call Democratic administration. And
you have the cOuIage.tO assert within nv
knowledge that by the election of Horace
Greeley the United States Congress
is handed over to the control Of party who
have positively denied the rights Of the
black men, You say that | know this Mr..
Speaker, | know no such thing, and vou
should be sufficiently thoughtful not TO as-
sert it. ] am entirely satisfied that can
vass Ike the present, where the principles
declared at Cincinnati arc openly accepted
on one side, and not contested on the other,
must result in a larger number Of congress
siOn1l represe natives sincerely devoted to
the rights Of the colOrcd citizens than ever
before. The Democrats will he pledged, as
never before, to the ruling principle that all
men are equal before the law, and also to
the three constitutional amendments, with
the clause in each empowering Congress TO
enforce the same by appropriate legislation.
But besides the Democrats there will be
Liberal Republicans pledged likewise, and
also your peculiar associates, who, trust,
will not betray the cause. Senators and
Representatives calling themselves Repub-
licans have been latterly in a large major
ity in both houses; but the final measure of
civil rights to which you refer, though
urged by nc almost daily, has failed TO
become law, less, fear, from Democratic
GvhT l.Is Ill
warmness and the want Of support from
the President. The great issue which the
people are called upon To decide in NOvem-
Der is On the President, and nobody knows
better than yourself that the louse of
Representatives chosen at the same time
will naturally harmonizs with him. So it
has been in our history. Now harmony
with Horace Greeley involves what | most
desire. With such o President, Congress
will be changed for the first time since the
war. The equal rights Of I'll win have a
declared representative at tho head of the
government, whose preFencb there will be
Of higher significance than any victory
during the war, being net only testimo-
ny, but constant motive power in this
great cause. Opposition, whether open
hostility or more subtle tTeachery, viii
yield to the steady influence of such q
representative, Therefore, IN looking TO
the Presiden. / look also To Congress,
which will take its character in
large measure from him. In choosing
Horace Greeley We do the best we can fOz
the whole government, not only in the
executive, but in the legislative branch,
while we decline to support nepOt5m, re
payment of personal gifts by official patron
age, seizure Of the war powers, indignity to
the black Republicans; also the various
exhibited By the President and
the rings by which Le governs, none Of
which you can defend. You know well
that the rings are already condemned By
the American people.
For myself, l say plainly and without
hesitation that l prefer Horace Greeley,
with any Congress, on the Cincinnati plat
form, to President Grant With his pFeten-
siOns and his rings, vote for whom in
wolves the support Of all his pretensions,
with prolonged power in all the rings.
There must be another influence and an
other examplel The administrator n in all
ts parts is inpressiYely the Presiden t. Let
ais soul be enlarged with seatin ent Of