The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1872-08-08

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The following reply to Summers noted
circular letter has been dictated by
Speaker Blame. Let all read il. 1t is
able and exhaustive:
Hon. Charles Sxmaey, D. s. Senator
DxAR Sn: Your ietter published in the
papers Of this morning will create pro.
found pain and regret among your for.
mer political friends throughout New
England. Your power to injure Gen
Grant was exhausted in your remarka'
bic speech in the Senate ; your power tc
ipiure yourself was not fully exercised
until you announced open alliance with
the SOuther~ secessionists in their effortl
to destroy the Republican party Of thu
nation. 1 have but recently read with
much interest the circumstantial and mi
mute account given by you, in the fourth
volume of your works, Of the manner in
which YOU were struck down in thu
Senate chamber in 1856 for defending
the rights Of the negro. The Democratic
party throughout the South, and accord
ing to your own showing, to some ex
tent in the North also, approved that Is
sault upon you.
Mr.. Toombs, of Georgia, openly an
nounced his approval of it in the Senate
and Jefferson Davis, four months after
its occurrence, wrote to South Carolina
in fulsome eulogy of Brooks for having
so nearly taken your life. 1t is safe tc
say that every man in the South who 70
joiced over the attempt to murder you
was afterwards found in the rebel con
spiracy to murder the nation. 1t is still
safer to say that every one Of them who
survived is Today your fellow labOrer in
the support of Horace Greeley. In 1856
he would, indeed, have been o rash
prophet who predicted your fast alliance
in sixteen years after with Messrs
Toombs and Davis in their efforts to re.
instate their own party in power. Ia
the startling mutations Of American pol
itics, nothing SO marvellous has ever Oc
Cured as the fellowship of Robert
Toombs, Jefferson Davis and CLas. Sum
ner, in q joint effort to drive the Repub'
lican party f ON power, ana hand over
the Government practically to those who
80 recently sought to destroy it.
1t is OF no avail for you to take refuge
behind the Republican record OF Horace
Greeley. Conccding for the sake of ar.
gument, as do not, in fact, believe, that
Horace Greeley would remain firm in his
Republican principles, he would he pow:
erless against the Congress that would
come into power with him in the event Of
his election. We have had recent and
striking illustration in the case Of An
drew Johnson, of the inability of the
President to enforce policy, or even u
measure, against the wilrof Congress.
What more power would be in Horace
Greeley to enforce a Republican policy
against q Democratic Congress-, than
there was in Andrew johnson to enforce
Democratic policy against Republican
Congress:
And besides, Horace Greeley has
already, in his letter OF acceptance, taken
ground practically against the Republic
can doctrine SO often enforced by your
self OF the duty Of the national Govern
ment to secure the right of every citizen
to the protection of life, person and prop
erty. In Mr.. Greeley's letter accepting
the Cincinnati nomination, he plcases
every Ku-Klux villain in the South by re-
peating Democratic cant about local gov
eminent, and invcighing, in good rebel
parlancc, against Capitalization, and f.
nally declaring that there shall be- no fed
eral subversion of the internal policy OF
the several States and municipalities,
but that each shall be left free to enforce
the rights and pro@Ote the well-being OF
it's inhabitants by such means as the
Judgment of its own people shall pre-
scribe. The meaning Of all this talk, in
plain English, is that, no matter how the
colored citizens Of the South may be
abused, iIl-used and oppressed, Congress
shall not interfere for their protection,
but leave them to the tender mercy of
local self governments, administered by
white rebels. Do you, rs friend to the
colored man, approve this position Of
Mr.. Greeley! You cannot forget, Mr..
Sumner. how often during the late SEES
sion of Congress you conferred with me
in regard to the possibility Of having
your civil rights bill passed BY the
House. 1t was introduced by your per-
sonal friend, Mr.. Hooper, and nothing
its passage by the House, ex-
cent the r.rcorous and factious hostility
of the Democratic members. II have
CORRECTLY examined the Globe, Demo-
cratic members on seventeen different
occasions resisted the passage Of the
civil rights bill by a parliamentary pro-
cess known rs fillibustering. They
would not even allow it to come to q
vote. Two intelligent colored members
from South Carolina, Elliott and Ray
new, begged of the Democratic side Of
the House to merely allow the civil
rights bill to be voted on, and they were
BY denial SO absolute, that it
to a scornfull jeering at the
rights of colored men, and now you lend
your voice and influence to the rc-elec-
lion of those Democratic members who
are cooperating with you in support OF
Mr.. Greeley. Do you not know, Mr..
Sumner, and will YOU not admit, and rs
q candid man acknowledge, that with
these men in power in Congress the
rights Of the coiored men are absolutely
sacrificed, so far - those rights depend
on federal legislation Still further, the
rights of colored men in this country are
secured, if secured at all, BY the three
great co Institutional amendments 18th,