Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-08-16
Speaker BlaIne's Letter to Senator
Sumner.
WAsHNoToN, August 2.
ing letter was handed to Sem

papers of this morning will create profound
pain and regret among your former political
friends throughout New England. Your
power to injure General Grant was exhausted
In your remarkable speech in the Senate.
Your power to injure yourself was not fully
exercised until you announced your open al
lance with Southern secessionists in their
efforts to destroy the Republican party on
the nation. have but recently read, with
much interest a circumstantial and minute
account, given by you In the fourth volume
of your works, ef the manner in which you
were struck down in the Senate chamber in
'56 for defending the rights of the negro.
The Democratic party throughout the south,
and, according to your own showing, to some
extent the North also, approved OF that
assault upon you. Mr.. Toombs, of Georgia,
openly announced his approval of it in the
Senate, and Jefferson Davis, four months af-
ter it's occurrence wrote letter to South
Carolina in fulsome eulogy Of BROOKS Tor
having so near taken your life. 1t is safe to
say that every man in the South who re1oic-
ed over the attempt to murder you was after
ward found in rebellious conspiracy to muir
der the nation. 1t is still safer to say that
every one of them who survives Is to-day
your fellow laborer in support of Horace
Greeley.
In 1866 he would indeed have been rash
prophet who predicted your alliance, sixteen
years after, with Messrs. Toombs and Davis
in their efforts to reinstate their own party in
American 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 practical control of those who so re-
Gently sought to destroy It. 1t is Of no avail
for you to take refuge behind Republican
record. Horace Greeley-conceding for the
sake of argument, as | do not in fact be-
lieve, that Horace Greeley would remain firm
l.. ainIac hn
erless against the Congress that would come
into power with him in the event of his cleo
tion. We have had a recent and striking IL
lustration, in the case of Andrew johnson,
of the inability of President to enforce
policy or even a measure against the will OF
Congress. What more power would there
be in Horace Greeley to enforce Republican
policy against Democratic Congress than
there was in Mr.. johnson to enforce DEM
ocratic policy against Republican CongressF
and, besides, Horace Greeley has already in
his letter of acceptance taken ground prac-
tically against the Republican doctrine SO
often enforced by yourself of the duty OF the
National Government to secure the rights OF
every citizen to the protection life, person
and property.
In Mr.. Greeley's letter accepting the
| Cincinnati nomination he pleases all the
Ku-Klux in the South by repeating the DEM
| ocratic cant about local self government and
| inveighing in good rebel parlance against
Capitalization, and finally declaring that
| there shall be no Federal subversion of the
internal policy of the several States and mu-
| inequalities, but that each shall be left free
to enforce their rights and promote the we'll
| being of its inhabitants by such means aS
| the Judgment of its own people shall pre-
| scribe The meaning of all this, in plain
| English, is, no matter how the colored citi-
zens of the South may be abused, wronged
| and oppressed, Congress shall not interfere
| for their protection, but leave them to the
tender mercies of local self government ad-
ministered by white rebels. Do you, as q
! friend of the colored man, approve of the
position of Mr.. Greeleyg You cannot for
| get, Mr.. Sumner, how often during the last
| session 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 personal
friend Mr.. Hooper, and nothing prevented
its passage by the House except the rancor-
! Gus and factious hostility of the Democratic
members. If | have correctly examined the
| Globe, the Democratic members on seventeen
| different occasions resisted the passage OF
the Civil Rights bill by the parliamentary
| process known as tillibustering. They would
| not even allow it to come to vote. Two
| intelligent colored members from South
| Caroina--Elliott and Rainey-begged OF the
| Democratic side of the House to allow the
Civil Rights bill to be voted on, and they
were answered with denial so absolute that
it amounted to painful ieer of the rights
of the colored man, and now you lend your
voice and influence to the reelection of these
| Democratic members who are cooperating
| with you in support of Mr.. Greeley. Do you
not know Mr.. Sumner, and will you not, as q
! candid man, acknowledge that, with these
men in power in Congress, the rights OF the
| colored men are absolutely sacrificed so far
as those rights depend on Federal legisla-
tion?
| Still further, the rights of colored men in
this country are secured, if secured at all, by
| the three great Constitutional amendments
| the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
! To give these amendments full scope and
| effect, legislation by Congress is Imperative
| ly required, as you have so often and so elo-
| quently demonstrated. But the Democratic
party are on record in the most conspicuous
manner against any legislation on the SUBJ
| iect. 1t was only in the month of February
! last that my colleague, Mr.. Peters, offered
resolution in the House of Representatives
affirming the validity of the Constitutional
amendments, and of such reasonable legisla-
| tion of Congress as may be necessary TO
make them in their letter and spirit the most
| influential. This resolution is very mild and
| guarded, as you will see, and was adopted by
| 124 yeas to SO nays. Only eight of the yeas
were Democratic. All the nays were Demo-
cratic. The resolution of Mr.. Peters was
| followed a week later by one offered by MIR.
Stevenson, of Ohio, as follows
Resol0ed, That we recognize as valid and bind
| the enforcement of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth
| and Fifteenth amendments Of the Constitution OF
the United States, and for the protection OF ciu-
zens in their rights under the Constitution as
! amended.
On vote upon this resolution there were
| 107 yeas to 65 nays. All the yeas were Re-
| publican, and they are now unanimous in
their support of General Grant All the nays
| were Democrats, who are now equally unan-
imous in their support of Mr.. Greeley.
| 1t is idle to affirm, as some Democrats did
| in the resolution offered by Mr.. Brooks, of
New York, that "These amendments are
valid parts of the Constitution" so long as
| the same man, on the same day, voted that
the provisions of those amendments should
not be enforced by Congressional legisla-
! ton. The amendments are but sounding
brass and tinkling cymbals to the colored
| man until Congress makes them effective
and practical. Nay, more, if the rights of
| the colOred man are to be left TO the legisla-
tion of the Southern States without Con-
! gressional intervention, he would, under
| Democratic Administration, be deprived of
the right of suffrage in less than two years,
and he would be lucky if he escaped some
! form of chattel slavery or bondage, and in
proof of this danger, | might quote volumes
! of wisdom and warning from the speeches Of
| Charles Sumner.
When, therefore, you point out to the col
ored men that their rights will be safe in the
| hands of the Democratic party, you delude
] anu ullsledu tuenl. L 40 not say Wlliullyy
! but none the less really. The small handful
of Republicans compared with the whole
mass who unite with yourself and Mr.. Gree
ley in going over to the Democratic party
cannot leayen that lump of political un-
soundness even If you preserve your own
| original principles. The Administration of
Mr., Greeley, should he be elected, would be
in whole and in detail Democratic, and you
would be compelled to go with the current,
or repent and turn back when too late to
mend the evil you had done Your argument
that Horace Greeley does not become DEM
ocratic by receiving Democratic votes, illus
tratng it by analogy of your own election to
the Senate, is hardly pertinent The point is
not what Mr. Greeley will become personal
| ly, but what will be the complexion of the
great legislative branch of the Government,
with all its vast and controlling power You
know very well, Mr.. Sumner, that if Mr..
Greeley is elected President, Congress
is handed over to the control Of
rIN haxra ofotap 1a-