The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-08-08
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SUMMER ANSWERED.

SUMMER ANSWERED.
SPEAKER BLAINE IN RESPONSE TO THE
SENATORIAL SoRE-HEAp.
a Sharp Reply tun Of Strong Points.
The following letter was handed to
Senator Sumner to-day:
Augusta, Me-, July 81, ~.
10 the Hon. Charles Sumner.
United states senator.
DEAR SIR :-Y our letter published in
the papers of this morning will create
profound pain and regret among your
former political friends throughout
New England. Your power to iniure
Gen. Grant was exhausted in your re.
markable speech in the Senate. Your
power to injure yourself was not fully
exercised until you annouced an open
alliance with southern secessionists in
their efforts to destroy the Republican
party of the nation. have but recent
~ read, with much interest, the cir
cumstantial 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 cham
Der in 1856, for defending the rights of
negroes. The Democratic party
throughout the South, and ACCORDING
to your own showing to some extent
III the North also, approved that as-
sault upon you. Mr.. Toombs of Geor-
gia openly announced his approval Of
It, in the Senate, and Jefferson Davis.
four months after its occurrence, wrote
a letter to South Carolina in fnlsome
eulogy of Brooks for having so nearly
taken your life. It is safe to saw every
man in the South who reioiced over
the attempt to murder you was after
wards found in.
IN THE REBEL CONSPIRACY
to murder the nation. It is still safer
TO say that every one of them who silr-
vlved is to-day your fellow laborer in
support of Horace Greeley. In 1875
he would indeed have been q rash
prophet who predicted your fast al
lance sixteen years after with Messrs.
Toombs and Davis in their efforts to
reinstate their own party in power.
In all the startling mutations of Amer
lean politics nothing so marvellous has
ever occurred as the fellowship of
Robert Toombs, Jefferson Davis and
Charles Sumner, in joint effort to
drive the Republican party from
power, and hand over the government
to the political control of those who 30
recently sought to destroy it. 1t is OF
no avail for you to take refuge behind
the Republican record Of Horace
Greeley, conceding for this sake arou-
mcnt, as do not in fact believe Hor-
ace 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
mad recent and striking illustration
THE CASE OF ANDREW JOHNSON
of the inability ola President to en-
force q policy, or even a measure.
against the will Of Congress. What
more power would there be in Horace
Greeley to enforce Republican poll
cy against Democratic Congress than
there was in Andrew johnson to en-
force Democratic policy against a
Republican Congress? and besides.
Horace Greeley has already in his let
ter of acceptance, taken ground practi-
caliy against the Republican doctrine.
SO often enforced by yourself. Of the
duty Of the national govsfnmcnt to &c.
cure the rights of every citizen to pro-
tectCn Of life person and property.
"a Mr. GreeIey's letter accepting the
Cincinnati nomination, he pIeases
every XII klux villain in the South bv
repeating the Democratic cant about
local seit-government, and inveighing
IN good rebel parlance against central
lzatlon, and finally declaring that there
snail be no federal subversion of the
internal policy of the several States
and municipalities, but that each shall,
be left free to enforce the rights and
promote the we'll being of lis inhabi-
tants 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
or the South may be abused, wropoed
and oppressed, Congress shall not in
terferc for their projection, but leave
them to the tender nercies of local
seif-government administered by white
rebels. ~
QUESTION.
Do you, asa friend to the colored
man, approve this position of Mr..
Greeley? You cannot forget, Mr..
SUMNER how often during the late ses-
sion of Congress you conferred with
me in regardto the possibility of hay-
ing your civil rights bill passed BY the
House. 1t was introduced by your
personal friend, Mr.. Hooper, and moth.
ing prevented its passage by the House
except the rancorous and factious hos
tility OF the Democratic members. III
have correctly examined the Globe, the
Democratic members, on seventeen
different occasions, resisted the passage
OF the civil rights bill bya parliament
tary process known as FILLIBusTERING.
They would not even allow it to come
to vote. Two intelligent colored
members from South Carolina, Elliott
and Rainey, begged the Democratic
side Of the House to merely allow the
civil rights bill to be voted on, and
they were answered with denial so
absolute that it amounted to scornful
jeelsof the rights of the colored man,
and now you lend your voice and in
fuence to the reelection of those
Democratic members who are cooper
ating with you in the support of Mr..
Greeley. Do you not know Mr.. Sum-
ner, and will you not admit, and as
candid man, acknowledge that with
these men in power in Congress the
rights of the colored men are abso Lutte
ly sacrificed, so far as those rights de-
pend on federal legislation Still fur
Their, the rights of colored men in this
country are secured, if secured at all, by
the three great Constitutional amend
ments-the Thirteenth, Fourtceth and
Fifteenth. To give these amendments
full scope and effect legislation by
Congress is imperatively required, as
you have so often and SO eIoquently
demonstrated. But the Democratic
party are on record i'm most con-
spicious manner against any legislation
on the subject.
THE DEMOCRACY. AND CIVIL RlGITs.
1t was only in the month Of Febru-
airy 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 Con-
gress as may be necessary 10 make
them, in their letter and spirit, most
effectial. This resolution. very mild
and guarded, as you will see, was
adopted by IA yeas to IS nays, only