Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-06-01
ALEXANDRIA,. VA.
SENATORS SUMNER AMI, ScHURz, both made
SATURDAY, JUNE !, 1872.

crowds to the Senate Chamber, and are now
the subjects of comment everywhere. And
they will continue to be the leading topics OF
the day. Mr. Summers speech was carefully
prepared before hand. and it is already pub
lished: Its tone and character may be judged
of BY the notices placed over it by its author ::
Thus, 80 80:
:s.Socrate$. Then whom do you call the gooR
'lalciBiiaqies [ mean by the good those who
are able to rule in the city.
Socrates. Not, surely, over HORSES?
.AlciLiades Certainly not.
-..Socrates But over men
s.14Libiades Yes"
Il Plato, Dialogues 1he First Alclb'adcs
'iAfnong the formost purposes ought to be
the downfall of this odious, insulting, degrad-
ing, aide-de-campish, incapable Dictatorship
At such crisis is the country to be left at the
mercy of BARRACK COUNCILS and mess-room
politics ?''-Letter of Lord Durham TO Henry
Brouohnn,, August. 1880. BroughamS Life
aud Times, Vol. ILL.,, p. "A.
We find this passage in the speech My
last. visit to Edwin NJ. Staunton was marked
by communication never to be forgotten. As
Eentered his bedroom, where | found him re-
cliniug on a sofa, propped by pillows, he reach
ed out his hand already cammy cold, and 10
reply to my inquiry, "How are you p answer.
ed, Waiting for my furlough." Then at
once with singular solemnity, he said, Il have
something to say to you. - When was seated
he proceeded. without one word OF introduce
ton i. Il know General Grant better than any
other person in the country can know him.. 1t
was my duty to- study him, and did SO night
and day, when I saw him and when did not
Ill 1pbo |
cannot qove,m this coumtly' The intensity OF
his manner and the positiyeness of his judg
ment surprised me, fer though | was aware
that the late Secretary of War did not place
the President very high in general capacity, L
was not prepared for judgment SO strongly
couched At last, after some delay, occupied
10 meditating his remarkable words, observed
What you say is very broad. ut IS as true
as it is broad. " he replied promptly. added,
"You are tardy; you tell this late why did
you not say it before his nomination = He
answered that he was not consulted about the
nomination, and had no opportunity Of express
ing his opinion upon it, besides being much oc-
cupiea at the time by his duties as Secretary
of Var aud his contest with the President
followed by saying, But you took part in the
Presidential election, and made succession OF
speeches for him in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
II SPOKE said he, "but [ never introduced
the name of General Grant. spoke for the
Republican party and the Republican cause.
In another place Mr.. Sumner says, MOT
only. are Constitution and law disregarded, but
the Presidential Office itself is treated as little
more than plaything and perqnslte-,When
not the former, then the latter. Here the de-
tails are. ample; showing how from, the begin
ming this exalted trust has dropped to per-
sonal indulgence, where palace cars, fast horses
and seaside loiterings figure more than duties;
how personal aims and objects have been more
prominent than the public interest; how the
Presidential office has been used to advance
his own family on scale Of nepotism dwarhngg
everything of the kind in our history, and
hardly euualled in the corrupt Governments
where this abuse has most prevailed; how IN
the same spirit office has been conferred upon
those from whom he hadreeeived gifts or ben
Gifts, thus makingtthe country repay his per-
sona obligations; how personal devotion to him
self rather than public or party service has
been made the standard of favor; how the vast
appointing power conferred by the Constitution
f6r the general welfare has been employed at
his will to promote his schemes, to reward his
friends; to punish his opponents, and to ad-
vance his election to second term; how all
these assumptions have matured in personal
government, semi-military in character and
breathing the military spirit, being species
Of Cesarism or personat1sna, abhorrent to re-
publican institutions. where subscrVlence to
the President is the supreme law; how IN MAIN
tanning this subservience he has operated by a
system Of combinations military, political, and
even, senatorial, having their orbits about him
so that, like the planet Saturn, he is surround
ed by rings; nor does the similitude end here,
for his rings, like those of the planet, are held
in position by satellites; how this utterly uure-
publican Ceesarism has mastered the Republi-
can party and dictated the Presidential will,
stalking into the Senate Chamber itself, while
aviudictive spirit visits good Republicans who
cannot submit; how the President himself I'M
conscious that a President has no right to quar-.
rel with anybody insists upon quarrelling until
he has become the great Presidential quarrel
Ter, with more quarrels than all other Presi-
dents together, and ali begun and continued by
himself; how his personal followers back him
in quarrels, insult those he insults, and then,
not departing from bis spirit, cry out with
Shakespeare, .We will have rings and things
and:6ne array and finally, how the chosen
head of the Republic is known chiefly for Pres
idential pretensions, utterly indetensible 10
character, derogatory to the country and Of evil
influence, making personal objects primary
he is a bad example through whom Republi-
can institutions suffer and the people learn to
do wong"
" Thus much for Mr.. Sumner to-day.
= Mr. Schurz spoke at length in denunciatiou
Of the report Of the French Arms Commit
tee and repealed with great indignation
the imputations upon himself and Mr.. Sum
ner; he also denounced the President with
much vehemepce, and concluded by expressing
the hope that the Reform movement, now
sweeping over tn country, would be victorious,
and attract all the forces which should come
together to overthrow the one-man power.
re LIE BRITISH TREATY.-The reported fail
ure of the Supplementary Treaty excites con-
siderable commotion in England In the
House of Lords Earl Granville has been inter
rogatedas to the exact status Of the Treaty,
but declined making definite answer. He
IL .oG,ead "a COW whathar fha Government