The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-03-02
Speech of MIR. Carpenter on the Sumner
Ea Resolution

Mr.. Carpenter then took the floor on Tho
pending resolution. He said if the friends
of the administration had suffered the allie.
cations i'll the preamble to this resolution
to 60 unchallenged, it would have been
heralded all over the country that they
dare not meet them. Therefore they had
joined issue, and now after the two weeks
of debate a lawyer who could not get a
verdict of acquittal in every one of these
counts ought to be hanged as an imposter.
Politics was very strong thing. Now
when we are on the eve OF Presidential
election, everything in the nature of bus-
ness has to give way for this assault on the
administration, for it is nothing but an as
sault. In charity to the Senators who
brought this assault, he would assume that
they did not believe the allegations which
they had made. If these allegations were
true, the least that we could do would be
to make an apology to Prussia. Prussia
might refuse to receive an apology. She
might say she did not know that she had
any cause of complaint of us, but as we
had made up the case against ourselves, we
must make such reparatlon as she dictated
or else fight. Then, in that event, how can
these Senators vote money and supplies to
carry on war i'll which, according to their
showing, their country is in the wrong?
He repeated that all this was nothing
more than stab at the Administration.
AS justification for the action of these
Senators, the course OF Golden and Bright,
in the British Parliament has been held up.
1t is very true these statesmen did cry out
against the wrong which would be perpe-
f,,t ,taJ hn TTnitoI +oto H.. Ii
cruisers were allowed to sail, but after they
had sailed, if either Golden or Bright had
in Parliament or out fit, assisted to make
up q case against their own country, he
had never heard of it. He had never heard
of either of them assisting to furnish testi-
mony to help us in the presentation of the
Alabama claims. Yet this is precisely what
these Senators are doing. A significant
fact had been noticed in this debate, and
that was the entire abstinence of the Demo-
Gratis from all participation i'll it. 1t was
said that the reason Of this was that the
Republicans were doing their work. But
he was willing to ascribe the action of the
Democrats to better motive than this.
He had been Democrat, and had stayed
with that party as long as man could.
The brightest pages in the record of that
party was, that it never trailed the flag of
the country in the presence Of foreign ma
ton. He read from speech Of Rufus
Choate, that whatever were the short COM
ings Of the Democratic party, it had always
burned with youthful, vehement, eXult-
ing, progressive nationality. Arguing
from this, Mr.. Carpenter, held that it
might be imagined that the real motive
actuating the Democratic Senators was,
that they were too patriotic to take part
in any movement to deiile their own
country.
lie then referred to remark made by
Mr.. Sumner on the motto, Sour country,
right or wrong" that it was "a heathen
sentiment, which would dethrone God and
exalt the devil" He then spoke in glow
ing terms of Decatur, the naval hero,
whose achievements were known to and
gloried in by every Yankee school boy of
ten years of age. Decatur had promulgat-
ed the sentiment, "0ur conntry, right or
wrong" and it was the first time he had
been called heathen. Decatur had given
this sentiment at festive occasion, in re-
ply to the toast, sour national glory-a
gem above all price, and worthy of any
hazard to sustain its splendor."
Mr.. Sumntr said he had made no allu-
sion to Decatur. He had spoken of this
sentiment as it was at this day, mere
commonplace of vicious politics-a vicious
sentiment.
Mr.. Carpenter said there had been ten
dency on the part of our publicists to push
the construction as to the action of neutrals
to the most extreme limit, in order to
make up as good o case as possible for the