New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-09-12


death, one by the hand Of the assassin. That
this may be attempted again is by no means
an impossibility.
We all know our candidate for Vice Pres
ident-Henry Wilson. Not faint of sus-
picion rests against his character. Has
manhood has been as pure as his official
acts have been noble. We all know him
through and through. What life OF labor!
What a life of service! What life OF
honor! From an humble day laborer at
the shoemaker's bench, he has become one
of the leaders of the Senate. Passionately
fond of knowledge, he has become, self
taught, perhaps the best informed man in
he country in her political history. A pas
sionate lover of liberty, he ranged himself
early on the unpopular side, and, by his la
Dor and organizing power, has done more
than any one man in the country to build up
the great party that abolished slavery.
Never resting, never thinking anything done
while aught remained to do in the service OF
freedom, he has crowded into one life the
labors of ten. Hardly populous locality
in the North, that is not familiar with his
voice. His Congressional labors have been
equally great. Gen. Scott declared that, in
the one short session of 1861, as Chairman
of the Committee on Military Affairs, he did
more than had been accomplished by all
previous ehairmen for twenty years.
Mr.. Hoar gives resume of the official
course of Senator Wilson, and closes by say.
ing: Add y all this that, though poor, amid
vast opportunities, his hands have been free
from the suspicion of a stain. Social and
genial, travelling day and night, living for
sixteen years in the temptations of Wash
ington, his simple and temperate life is one
which you may well hold up for your chill
dren's imitation.
Such are the questions and such the can,
didates. But it is not the merits of the can
didates alone that is to determine your
choice. You cannot, if you would, separate
the candidate from his supporters. From
the ranks of those who support him will the
mates. Nearly one-third of the Senate is to
be elected within six months. His triumph
will bring into the Senate, from every State
where he is successful, men selected from
the same ranks. The same ranks will close
together in the choice of the entire House of
Representatives. So clearly is this under.
stood by your opponents, that Mr.. Sumner s
letter, nominally addressed to few colored
men in Washington, where they have no vote
for President, was in fact SO timed as to Sc
cure, if possible, the election of Zeb Vance
to the Senate-an incorporating and UNI
repentant rebel, who desired to =" fill hell so
full of Yankees that their feet would stick
out of the windows - and of eight Demo
cratic Representatives,, one OF them, the
brother of Vance, over the candidates of the
colored men and the loyal Republicans. Mr..
Greeley, reconsidering his purpose, wrote a
letter of acceptance in which he complained
of Gov. Vance exclusion from the Senate,
when previously elected.
Now, who are the men who make up the
party Of Mr.. Greeley, and whom his election
would bring into power? l cannot better
describe them than in the language of Mr..
Sumner describing the party of Andrew
johnson: "Original partisans of slavery,
North and South, habitual compromisers of
great principles maligners of the Declare
ton of Independence politicians without
heart and prOmiscuous company who at
every stage of the battle have set their faces
against equal rights-these are his allies.
1t is the troop Of slarery acih a fen recruits. !"
do not forget that in all this am com.
PEELED to differ with one with whom for my
whole political life hitherto it has been my
pleasure to agree on all questions of national
policy. would not speak Of him otherwise
than with honor. The habits of lifetime
are too strong. | cannot name in public
life the name of Charles Sumner and words
of eulogy not spring, unbidden, to the lips
He has been brave, persistent, honest ad'
yocate of liberty. He has stood on lofty
height. He never has appealed to a mean
sure, been consciously guided by one him
self. But we cannot give up our judgment
even to his. fthere is any one lesson to be
learned from his life it is the lesson of indie
pendence. Woe to that people who in grave
public emergencies trusts to any judgment
but its own.
Mr.. Sumner, in my judgment, in his re-
cent speech and letters, has done a great
wrong to the President, has done great
wrong to you, and greater wrong than all
to himself. He is bitterly estranged from
the President. But we need not utterly con.
denim him, even if we find him guilty of great
injustice. Many notable instances have &C.
cured in history of public men, alienated
wholly from each other, while the world loves
and honors both. One instance is found in
the career of an English statesman, to whom
Mr. Sumner bears no inconsiderable resem-
blance. mean Edmund Burke. Mr. Sum
ner has the same fearless courage, the same
vast scholarship, the same lofty eloquence,
the same uncOnquerable and generous love
of liberty. Yet Burke quarreled foolishly
and bitterly with Fox. The generous Fox,
with the tears streaming down his cheeks,
begged that there might be no loss of friend
ship. Burke rejected his advances, and, at
another time, is said by one biographer, to
have spoken in "scream of passion
Burke cruelty wronged his friend, while in
their dissensiOns freedom suffered,
An instance even better known to you is
that Of our own Hamilton and Adams. Their
dssensions went so far as to destroy the SUI
premacy Of the Federal party. 1t was only
by one vote after a struggle of months, which
threatened to rend the Union itself in sun.
der, that the country escaped the danger of
Burr. rs the result of Hamilton's conduct
The people love Hamilton, and love and
honor brave and honest old John Adams
Which was right in the original quarrel no.
body now cares but their descendants. If
Mr.. Sumner shall succeed, less fortunate
than Hamilton, he will bring into power q
whole Congress of Aaron Burrs.
am not reluctant to submit to any candid
man the question. Do you find in Mr.. Sum-
ner's speech the state Of mind anxious to do
Justice to great public servant, to the
trusted candidate Of the people of Massachu.
sets, to which he owes his own hOnors, nay +,
even strongest obligation of all to a generous
mind-to the man whom he accounted his
enemy? Fortunately there are some of Mr..
Summers charges of which the American
people have means of knowledge better
than his own. He charges General Grant
with being an egotist and quarreler. AS
to this General Grent has passed an ordeal
in the eyes of the American people on a
lofty scene TO which even the Senate cham
Der is obscure.
Gen. Grant an egotist and a quarreler
Do not the American people know better
You have heard Mr.. Greeley's testimony.
There is no ordeal of the temper like the
ordeal of military life. Every officer knows
how hard it is to repress this constant tempt.
alton. Yet Grant, of all our Generals,